86 BULLETIN 132, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



6. BACTRA MAIORINA Heinrich 

 (Figs. 173, 344) 



Bactra maiorina Heinrich, Pi'oc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 25, 1923, p. 

 105.— FoPvBES, Memoir 68, Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1924, p. 470. 



A distinct species, as the o^enitalia show. In the male the aedoeagus 

 is longer and more curved, spine cluster Spc^ is stronger and the 

 heavy spining of cucullus more closely crowded toward lower margin 

 than in any of the varieties of verutana. The differences in female 

 genitalia are shown in figures 171, 173. 



Apparently confined to the single food plant {Scirpus) and pos- 

 sibly the same as the European scirpana Herrich-Schaefer, now listed 

 as a synonym of furfurana. A genitalia study of European speci- 

 mens reared from Scirpus would be necessary to establish this. 



Male genitalia figured from paratype in collection Barnes from 

 Vineyard, Utah (Tom Spalding, "VI-2-12"); female from para- 

 type in collection Barnes from Arlington. Va. 



DistHhution. — Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Utah. There 

 is also a specimen in the Cornell collection from Ithaca, N. Y. 



Alar expanse. — 13-20 mm. 



Type. — In National Collection. 



Type locality. — Arlington, Va. 



Food plant. — Scirpus fluvintilis. 



7. BACTRA PRIAPEIA Heinrich 



(Figs. 172, .345) 



Bactra priapekt Heinrich, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 25, 1923, p^ 

 105.— Forbes, Memoir 68, Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1924, p. 470. 



Since the publication of this species a large number of Bactra col- 

 lected at San Benito, and Brownsville, Tex., have been received from 

 Dr. W. Barnes. Most of the specimens were ve7'utana- or furfurana 

 (dated May to September). The females of pHapeio, in this lot 

 showed quite different genitalia from those of the female paratypes 

 of the original type series. Inasmuch as the Texas females are in 

 large series (equal in number to the males), I take it that they must 

 be the true females of priapeia., and that the paratype from the type 

 locality is something else, possibly a hybrid of priapeia and verutana 

 or of verutana and furfurana. I am designating it as a new species 

 under the name sirdsti^a (see following) . 



In pattern priapeia, is somewhat variable, several specimens hav- 

 ing the median dark shade of forewing broken into two discal dots 

 or blotches as in veinitana. The abnormally long aedoeagus of the 

 male and the strongly chitinized ductus bursae of the female, how- 

 ever, are diagnostic and readily identify the species. 



