Pleocoma Fimbriata, Lee. 



By L. E. Ricksecker. 

 Santa Ro.-a. Cal. 



A year ago I gave lo the readers of " Ent. Amer. " some notes re- 

 garding the habits of this interesting species, and hoped to be able to ob- 

 serve them more fully this year, but owing to my absence fiom home, 1 

 was prevented from doing so. However, as I had some boys watching 

 the field, the recurrence of the brood, in great numbers, was observed b}' 

 them, and under circumstances exactly similar to those recorded last 

 year. Our October rain, — which generally falls during the first half of 

 that month, and is of sufficient volume to soak the soil six inches or 

 more in depth, and thus set at liberty the Pleoeoma imprisoned by the 

 hard baked crust during the Summer months, — failed altogether this 

 year. We had a slight shower in September but not enough to penetrate 

 to the required depth, although I heard of PUocoma being seen, after this 

 rain, further up the coast, showing that where sufficient rain fell the bee- 

 tles were ready to emerge. Our first rain fell November 5ih, and the boys 

 report finding a few Pleocoma, but there was not enough rain to soak 

 the earth thoroughly and consequently the beetles were scarce. On Nov. 

 28th there came a storm lasting about a week and immediately the whole 

 brood emerged, the air being full of the black, flying males. Of the 

 apterous females, large and brown in cok)r, five fine specimens were secured. 



Southern Form of E. scribonia, Stoll. 

 By Annie Trumball Slosson. 

 Ecpantheria denudata, n. var. 



I feel assured from further examination of the form of scribonia 

 referred to m previous note (Ent. Am., Jan., "88), and by the opinion of 

 other Entomologists, that it deserves to be made a variety. 



I venture, therefore, to give it provisionally the above name. In 

 Smith's Abbott, \o\. II, p. 137, I find a description and figure of typical 

 form under the name PhaLena ociilatissim.i. An. additional note says : 

 '' There is a smaller Phalasna in North America, nearly allied to this in 

 the marking of its upper wings ; but all the wings in that are naked and 

 pellucid towards their tips, and the back almost entirely yellow. Eabricius 

 seems by the English Museums to have confounded these two species." 

 In my specimens there is no more yellow on abdomen than in the 

 ordinary form. In fact, I see no deviation from type, except in the in- 

 variably pellucid and denuded tips of both anterior and posterior wings. 

 I know nothing as yet of the larva, but shall endeavor to investigate the 

 subject more thoroughly this coming Spring. 



