70 



above in the oblique apical band. Fringe concolorous with 

 the wing. Hind wings white, more or less tinged with gray. 

 Habitat. Texas, Arizona, California, southern Europe, 

 south-western Asia, Africa, Australia, Sandwich Islands. 

 This insect is undoubtedly a native of southern Europe, and 

 has probably been brought to this country in comparatively 

 recent times. The early stages and food plants are un- 

 known. At one time I supposed that the Texas and Cali- 

 fornia examples should be regarded as well-marked varieties, 

 but upon the examination of more material I find all the 

 usual variations among the Texan specimens and also among 

 those from California. 



ARGYRIA HUB. 



Head medium; face slightly produced ; eyes large, hemi- 

 spherical ; ocelli present ; antennae about two-thirds as long 

 as the costa, ciliated in the male, simple in the female ; labial 

 palpi porrect, about twice the length of the head ; maxillary 

 palpi about half as long as the labial palpi ; tongue well de- 

 veloped, scaly at the base ; thorax and abdomen smooth, the 

 latter with an extensible anal tuft in the male ; ]egs rather 

 stout, outer spurs half as long as the inner ones. Fore 

 wings about twice as long as wide, with twelve veins ; 8 and 

 9 from one stalk, all the rest separate. Hind wings two- 

 thirds as wide as they are long, with eight veins ; 4 and 5 

 from one stalk ; cell open. 



This genus was established by Hiibner, in his " Yerzeich- 

 niss bekannter Schmetterlinge," p. 372, placing nummulalis 

 (argentana) Hub. and pusillalis Hub. under it, and there- 

 fore nummulalis may be considered the type. 



SYNOPSIS or THE SPECIES. 



f Fore wings with an oblique yellow band across the middle, 

 1. < auratella. 



^ Fore wings without a yellow band, 2. 



( Fore wings with yellow hind border, , . . argentana. 

 \ Fore wings without yellow hind border, .... 3. 

 ( Fore wings with oblique costal marks, .... lacteella. 

 \ Fore wings without oblique costal marks, . . . nivalis. 



