﻿129 — 



Dataua major Grote and Rol)inson. 



G. & K., Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil. vol. vi, p. 12, pi. 2, fig. 3. 

 Dyar, Can. Ent. vol. x.\i, p. 34.* 



The male has the exterior margin of primaries nearly straight, 

 the female slightly e.xcavate between the veins. In this character 

 the species approaches S 2 of my table, and consequently I place it 

 last in i^ I. It is distinguished by its large size, the distinct dorsal 

 spots and the nearly Jiniform reddish brown color of both wings. I 

 know of but one constant character to separate the moth Irom D. 

 drexelii (viz., the fulvous costal shade of the latter), but the larvae 

 differ greatly. 



The mature larva of D. major is black, the head, cervical spot 

 and anal plates dark red; the body has rows of subquadrate spots 

 bright canary-yellow or clear white. 



Food-plant: Andromeda lignstrina. 



A peculiarity of the larxae is their separating and feeding singly 

 after the last moult. Mr. Beutenmiiller has shown me examples of 

 the moth which were small, the costa unusually yellowish with the 

 second band bent to pass inside the outer discal spot. He stated 

 that they were raised from the characteristically spotted larva of 

 major. It seems probable that they are a dwarfed form of D. major, 

 arising from insufficiency of food in the larval state. If compelled 

 to live together, after the last moult (as these were), the larvce will 

 not eat well and the moths would be small. The position of the 

 lines is not constant in this species. 



Datana palmii Beutenmiiller. 



P>eut., Psyche, vol. vi, p. 299 (1890). 



This species was described from PennsyKania, but it also occurs 

 in New York. It seems to be a mountain species, the localities so 

 far known being Delaware Water Gap, Pa. , and the Catskill Moun- 

 tains, N. V. It may be known by the following characters: 



Head and tlioracic patcli cinnaniuii-brown. the former paler. The rest 

 of the thorax is of tlie color of the fore wings. Abdomen pale testaceous, 

 as in allies. Fore wings entire along the outer margin, but sliowing a trace 

 of the e.xcavations, dull pale lilac, rather thickly covered with dark brown 

 irrorations, in the female almost obscuring the ground color between the first 

 and fifth bands. Five cinnamon-brown bands, the color of the irrorations 

 and apical streak as in allies, the first, second and fiftii distinct, the others 

 more or less obsolescent. The discal spots are just discernible, the outer the 

 more distinct, much as in D. inf\Qcrrinia. Fringe cinnamon-brown. Hind 

 wings rather pale, but tinged with l)rown. The underside gives no distinctive 

 characters. 



