33 



Habitat. S. Carolina (April, May), Georgia, Florida. 



(2) M. YuccAE coLORADENSis Riley. (PI. I, Figs. 8 and 9, i .) 



M. yuccae var. coloradensis Riley, Tr. Acad. Sci., St. Louis, III, 567 (1877); 



Skinner, Syn. Cat. N. Am. Rhop. 99, (1898); Dyar, Bull. U. S. Nat. 



Mils. 52, p. 46 (1902) (syn. yuccae); id., Jour. N. Y. Ent. Soc. XIII, 



141 (1905); Skinner, Tr. Am. Ent. Soc. XXXVII, 203 (1911). 

 Megathymus coloradensis Mabille, Gen. Insect. Hesp. 185 (1904). 

 M. yuccae var. navajo Skinner, Ent. News, XXII, 300 (igii) ; *id., Tr. Am. 



Am. Ent. Soc, XXXVII, 209, PI. X, (1911). 



"This Colorado form is remarkable for its small size and the paleness of its 

 colors compared with those reared farther South on the larger leaved, more 

 luxuriant Yuccas. It is also distinguished by a second narrow white line on 

 the underside of secondaries just outside the larger triangular white spot from 

 costal vein ; also by the dark spots on the underside of secondaries generally 

 having a white pupil, a tendency thereto being noticeable in the Carolina speci- 

 mens." 



Skinner has recently described a new variety from New Mexico as 

 var. navajo on the strength of the ground color of the wings being 

 black instead of the deep umber-brown of yuccae and presumably of 

 var. coloradensis. Riley has not mentioned the ground color in his 

 original description ; we have before us 4 specimens from Kerrville, 

 Texas, and 9 from Redington, Arizona ; fresh specimens show the 

 deep black ground color characteristic of Skinner's navajo; older 

 specimens, which have been several years in the collection, have turned 

 distinctly brownish and correspond closely in color with Riley's type 

 of coloradensis in the National Museum. As Skinner states that 

 there is no difference in maculation, we imagine the difference in 

 color is due to the age of the specimens, and that there is not suffi- 

 cient ground for considering the New Mexico form a separate race. 



A reference to the figures, combined with the original descrip- 

 tion, is sufficient to distinguish the points of difference between this 

 subspecies and yuccae. There is very little variation in the speci- 

 mens before us, all $ 's ; what little there is consists in the greater or 

 less breadth of the pale band and the varied shape of the spots form- 

 ing same. We have seen but a single 9 and that was so battered in 

 transit as to be only useful for dissection ; it agreed, however, with 

 the $ in the dark ground color and pale banding of the wings. 



The Claw segment (PI. Ill, Fig. 7) has the spines and lateral 

 hairs common to most of the species of this family; the pulvillus is 



