1*74 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [June, '19 



cycle is of two years' duration, the larvae being destructive 

 from July of one year to February of the second following- 

 year, spending about 19 months in the bulb. Childs (K) lists 

 its host plants as follows : Narcissus, Amaryllis, Vallota, Ha- 

 branthus, Eurycles, Galtonia, and the bulbs of the wild hya- 

 cinth, Scilla nutoris. 



The control measures for these flies are given as follows by 

 MacDougallf and Childs (K) : Examine all bulbs to be planted, 

 destroying all sickly, discolored and infested ones. The in- 

 festation can often be detected by pressing between thumb and 

 fingers ; if there is a distinct ''giving," the bulb is probably in- 

 fested. Bulbs may be at least partly freed of infestation by 

 submerging for from two to eight days, then thoroughly dry- 

 ing. If an attack is noted in the field, the bulbs should be taken 

 up and burned and the top -soil deeply buried in September 

 or early October. (Collinge: Manual of Injurious Insects.) 



A new Amastus from Argentina (Lep., Arctiidae). 



By W. ScKAUS, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 



Amastus formosana sp. nov. 



$ . Antennae brown. Head, collar and thorax dark steel grey ; a 

 small yellow spot on tegulae ; a fine yellow streak outwardly on patagia. 

 Palpi: first and second joints crimson fringed in front with dark steel 

 grey, the third joint entirely steel grey. Thorax below dull red mot- 

 tled with yellow brown; legs dark grey partly streaked with crimson 

 at base. Abdomen above crimson, underneath dark grey, expanding 

 laterally towards anal segment, where it meets dorsally. 



Fore wings fuscous brown, the costal margin lighter brown the same 

 shade as the antennae ; markings light ochreous brown ; antemedial 

 elongated spots: OiiC in cell small, one below cell larger with a similar 

 spot above submedian and a narrow streak below submedian ; a large 

 spot at end of cell, its anterior edge curved and truncated close to 

 median vein, its outer edge almost straight ; postmedial spots large 

 only separated by veins from vein 7 to submedian, below which there 

 is only a minute streak ; a series of small subterminal spots, partly 

 lunular, the spot between veins 5 and 6 larger and coalescing with the 

 postmedial spot. 



Hind wings semihyaline yellowish white, tinged with roseate at anal 

 angle ; a narrow line on discocellular, hairs on inner margin, cilia and 

 tips of veins fuscous brown. Expanse : 61 mm. 



Habitat — El Saltadillo, Argentina. Type in the E^nited 

 vStates National Museum. 



*Stocks, G., The Daffodil-fly, Merodon Equestris, in The Daffodil 

 Year Book, London, 1914, Roy. Hort. Soc, pp. 50-59, pis. 2. 



tjour. Brd. Agr. (London) 16, (1909) No. 4, pp. 293-297, pis. 2, fig. i 

 and ibid., 20, (1913) No. 7, pp. 594-599, figs. 2. 



