AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 287 



NORTH A.IIERICAX TORTRIC'II>.£. 



W. D. KEARFOTT, MONTCLAIR, N. J. 

 Genus POLYCHROSIS Eag. 



This genus was enacted by Ragouot * for the reception of the 

 European grape-berry moth botrana Schiff, and tliis species was 

 made the type of the genus. Ragonot, however, omitted to give 

 the generic characters, and as, so far as I am aware, no one else has 

 done so, I add them beh)w. 



In 1871 Zelierf identified the American grape-berry moth as 

 botrona, and all subsequent workers in this family have followed his 

 conclusions; and in addition have lumped under this name a num- 

 ber of moths whose larvae feed on very dissimilar food plants. 



These identifications can perhaps be accounted for by the reason 

 that all of the species are superficially alike, especially if slightly 

 rubbed, and that seems to be the condition of the majority of the 

 museum specimens I have examined. 



With sufficiently long series of perfect bred specimens, however, 

 it is easy to difterentiate and even place the rubbed ones where they 

 belong. During the past four years I have been successful in breed- 

 ing a goodly numl)er of moths from different food-plants, which will 

 be referred to later. The most valuable assistance has been given 

 by Prof. M. V. Slingerland, who has bred large numbers of the 

 grape berry moth from each of its three broods and most kindly 

 permitted me the free use of all the species lumped under this name 

 in the Murtfeldt collection, which is deposited at Ithaca. I am 

 also indebted to him for opportunity to study a number of European 

 specimens of botrana, secured through Staudinger and Bang-Hass, 

 and most important he has been good enough to make the beautiful 

 photograplis, which are reproduced on Plate XIX. 



About twenty specimens were loaned by the National Museum, 

 bred from several food plants and from widely separated localities. 



From a very careful study of all of this material I am convinced 

 the American grape-berry moth is specifically distinct from the 

 European, the name botrana for our American foi'in most therefore 

 fall, and be replaced by viteana Clem.;{; 



« Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. Isiii, 208, 1894. 



t Stett. Eut. Zeit. xxxii, p. 179. 



t Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. p. 359, 1860. 



TKANS. AM. ENT. SOC. XXX. NOVKMBEE. 1904. 



