NORTH AMEEICAN L.\SPEYEES1INAE AND OLETHREUTINAE 167 



As it stands this ^enus is still considerable of a lump and probably 

 should be further divided; but as yet I have found no characters 

 that will satisfactorily group its conflicting elements. It represents, 

 I believe, the parent stem of the family. 



The type species (arcuella) is strikingly different in pattern from 

 anything else in the genus, and should its far eastern variety prove 

 to have a real Exartenia lobe on the male hind wing as claimed 

 by Walsingham (see p. 130), I should be inclined to restrict the 

 genus to that species and apply the name Argyroploce to the Amer- 

 ican species. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF OLETHREUTES 



.1. Greater part of fore wing whitish; conspicuous dark markings a bluish 

 black basal patch and a similar colored subtornal spot. 



(1) griseoalbana. 

 Fore wing otherwise 2. 



2. Fore wing brownish with a few small black spots on median and basal 



areas and a conspicuous square, pinkish-white blotch on costa beyond 



middle; other pale areas suffused with dark scaling— (28) costimaculana. 



Fore wing otherwise 3. 



3. Fore wing with a clear white semicircular spot on dorsum just beyond base ; 



terminal quarter of wing white, faintly marked with brownish fuscous; 



rest of wing brown (29) devotana. 



Fore wing otherwise 4. 



4. Fore wing with a single, rather broad, clear white antemedian fascia and 



a more or less extended white postmedian area defining a distinct 



brownish or dark grayish fuscous median band 5. 



Antemedian and postmedian areas otherwise ; when whitish more or less 

 suffused or mottled with ocherous or fuscous, or broken into narrow 

 irregular lines 10. 



5. Postmedian white area a narrow outwardly angulate band, narrower than 



antemedian white band (16) carolana, 



Postmedian white area broad and occupying greater part of outer quarter 

 of wing ; when reduced bj' terminal dark shading and markings, in- 

 wardly angulate 6. 



6. Dark markings olivaceous fuscous (31) buckellana albidula. 



Dark markings dark greyish fuscous 7. 



7. Dark markings in terminal area of fore wing obsolete, or only a faint 



shading indicating remains of subapical bar; median band divided at 



middle by a fine longitudinal white streak (19) dilutifuscana. 



(18) bipartitana (part). 



Dark markings in terminal area more or less pronounced ; subapical bar 



at least present, and usually a dark shade between it and apex ; no white 



streak dividing median band 8. 



8. Hind tibiae banded 9. 



Hind tibiae not banded (18) bipartitana (part). 



9. Outer margin of median dark band distinctly toothed below costa. 



(17) polluxana. 

 Outer margin of median band not toothed below costa (20) glaciana. 



