14 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Jan., ’08 
A new Eriocrania (Lepidoptera) from-the Pacific Coast. 
By Francis X. Witi1AMs, San Francisco, Cal. 
, (Plate II) 
In early March, 1905, I had the good fortune to capture 
several examples of an Eriocrania (Eriocephala), which Mr. 
Busck, of the U. S. National Museum, pronounces to be a 
new species. The specimens, ten in all, were caught at the base 
of Mt. Tamalpais, in Marin County, in a small grove of oaks 
(Quercus agrifolia). They were in good condition and cap- 
tured rather early in the morning, being disturbed from the 
trunks of trees. Their flight is rather weak, but hard to follow 
on account of the small size of the insect. When taken they 
sometimes feign death, as is often the case in Hepialus, folding 
their wings like a caddis-fly. 
Five of the specimens were dissected for anatomical study 
and another was accidently destroyed, leaving four specimens 
in good condition. 
Eriocrania cyanosparsella n. sp. 
Head covered with coarse, light gray hair; antenne dark golden, 
more than half the length of the primaries. Primaries metallic golden 
with purplish patches showing rusty golden in some lights, and forming 
three rather irregular oblique bands across the wing, the outer ex- 
tending across the base of the outer third of the wing and having 
a short, interior parallel band at the outer angle, the middle band 
diffusing costally, and being the plainest of the three; the inner 
band in the basal third most evident at the costa, its lower half broken — 
and represented by one patch on the inner margin. Purple patches 
scattered about the apex, along the outer margin, and basally on the 
costa. All purple showing cyanous blue scales in certain lights. 
Secondaries golden, becoming translucent towards the base, outer half 
purplish, especially apically. A strong rusty, golden tinge is probably 
faded purple. Blue scales sometimes reflected. Fringes pale metallic 
gray, golden at their outer half on the primaries. Body more than 
half as long as primaries, covered with long, light gray hair. Legs 
elongate and spurred. Expanse 11.60 mm, 
Type i ¢ ;Cotypes 3 $ ¢ , in the collection of the author. 
There is some variation in the intensity and arrangement of 
the bands on the primaries, these being heavier in some and 
more numerous or less in others, but they agree with the type 
in fundamental pattern. The expanse varies from 10 to 14 
mm. 
The mouth-parts and wing venation illustrated on the plate, 
show well the primitive character of thé Micropterygide. 
