Tineidae 



indirectly upon the labor of Pronuba. The whole story is one of 

 the most interesting in the annals of insect life, and the student 

 who is curious to know all about its interesting details should 

 consult the fourth volume of " Insect Life," where Professor Riley 

 has with minute patience worked out the wonderful story, with 

 all the skill of a Sherlock Holmes. 



(i) Prodoxus quinquepunctella Chambers. (The Bogus 

 Yucca Moth.) 



Syn. decipiens Riley ; paradoxica Chambers. 



This little moth, which superficially resembles Pronuba yuc- 

 casella, has no maxillary tentacle such as is found in the latter 



insect. Its absence 

 is characteristic, in 

 y^ fact, of all the species 

 of the genus. The 

 ovipositor is homolo- 

 gous to that of Pro- 

 nuba, but is a stronger 

 instrument intended 

 for making incisions 

 in the tender bark of 

 the stem, while the 

 ovipositor of Pronu- 

 ba is a long, slender- 

 organ which is used 

 to thrust the egg into 

 the ovarian cavity of 

 the growing seed- 

 vessel. 



The larvae of the 

 various species of 

 Prodoxus are without 

 feet, quite maggot 

 like, and remain in 

 their burrows in the stems of the Yucca plants, not descending to 

 the ground to pupate, as do those of Pronuba. The pupse, when 

 the time for emergence arrives, protrude themselves from the 

 stems, and the moth escapes from the pupal skin, very much in the 

 way in which the same act is performed by various species 'of 



438 



& 



Fig. 255. P. qiiinqaepunctella. a, larva; b, head 

 from above ; c, d, left jaw and antenna ; e, pupa ; f, in- 

 fested stem, showing burrows, castings, cocoons, and 

 pupa-shell, h. All enlarged. (After Riley.) 



