AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHTCITINAE 



11 



young stems of Tamarix and the stems, leaves, and 

 flowers of Ly thrum. Apparently has a various larval 

 habit and a wide variety of hosts. A moth (in USNM) 

 from Muar Johore, Malaya (Clausen), was reported as 

 reared from a larval predator on Aleurocanthus. 



Distribution: Mediterranean countries of Europe, 

 Africa, and Asia. Presumably widely distributed in 

 the east and among the Pacific islands; but some of the 

 published records may apply to other species. New 

 World distribution: Bermuda (Jan., Feb., Apr., May). 

 Venezuela: El Valle (Aug.). Brazil: Sao Paulo 

 (Feb.). 



Genera 2-17: Acrohasis to Chararica 



[Venational division B. Hind wing with vein 3 from the lower 

 outer angle of the cell or (if from before the angle) close to it; 

 7 and 8 approximate beyond cell, rarely shortly and weakly 

 anastomosed. Male genitalia with transtilla complete or, 

 where incomplete (Bertelia, Hypargyria) , the elements strongly 

 developed and with expanded apices. Uncus triangulate, or 

 hoodlike with rounded apical margin, or spatulate {Birinus).] 



2. Genus Acrohasis Zeller 



Acrobasis Zeller, Isis von Oken, 1839, p. 176; 1848, p. 606. — 

 Herrich-Schaffer, Systematische Bearbeitung der Schmet- 

 terlinge von Europa, vol. 4, p. 99, 1849. — Heinemann, Die 

 Schmetterlinge Deutschlands und der Schweiz, vol. 1, 

 pt. 2, p. 175, 1865.— Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 120, 

 1890; U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 52, p. 418, 1902.— Ragonot, 

 Monograph, pt. 1, p. 85, 1893. — Dyar, Proc. Ent. Soc. 

 Washington, vol. 10, p. 41, 1908. — Spuler, Die Schmetter- 

 linge Europas, vol. 2, p. 214, 1910. — Barnes and McDun- 

 nough, Contributions, vol. 2, p. 221, 1914. — Forbes, Cornell 

 Mem. 68, p. 614, 1923. — Meyrick, Revised handbook of 

 British Lepidoptera, p. 397, 1928. — Pierce and Metcalfe, 

 Genitalia of the British Pyrales, p. 10, 1938. — Bisset, in 

 Pierce and Metcalfe, op. cit., p. 55, 1938. — Janse, Journ. 

 Ent. Soc. South Africa, vol. 4, p. 148, 1941. (Type of 

 genus; Phycis tumidella Zincken (= Acrohasis zelleri 

 Ragonot) ; figs. 133, 640.) 



Mineola Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 126, 1890; U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. Bull. 52, p. 419, 1902.— Forbes, Cornell Mem. 68, 

 p. 618, 1923. (Type of genus: Myelois indigenella Zeller.) 



Seneca Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 177, 1890. (Type of 

 genus: Cateremna tumidulella Ragonot. New synonymy.) 



Acrocaula Hulst, Canadian Ent., vol. 32, p. 170, 1900. (Type 

 of genus: Acrocaula comacornella Hulst. New synonymy.) 



Tongue weU developed. Antenna pubescent; on 

 male, basal segment enlarged and angulate, the shaft 

 with a slight sinus at base. Labial palpus upturned, 

 reaching to or a trifle above vertex; third segment 

 slightly more than half the length of second, acuminate. 

 Maxillary palpus filiform. Forewing smooth or with 

 transverse antemedian ridge of raised scales; 11 veins; 

 vein 2 from M^ell before the angle of the cell; 3 rather 

 well separated from 4, but somewhat nearer to 4 than 

 to 2; 4 and 5 closely approximate at base or connate 

 (rarely, in individual specimens, shortly stalked); 

 6 from below upper angle of cell, straight; 10 from the 

 cell, usually (except in individual specimens) separated 

 from stalk of 8-9 at base; male without costal fold. 

 Hind wing with vein 2 from well before lower outer 

 angle of cell (from outer two-thirds of lower median) ; 



3 from before but near the angle; 4 and 5 from the 

 angle, connate; 7 and 8 shortly anastomosed beyond 

 ceU; cell about half the wing length; discocellular vein 

 curved. Eighth abdominal segment of male with 

 midventral hair tuft. 



Male genitaUa with apical process of gnathos a simple, 

 elongate hook, or an elongate trifurcate hook. Trans- 

 tilla complete, sharply angulate and reaching as far 

 back as base of apical process of gnathos; terminal 

 margin narrow and indented. Uncus broadly triangu- 

 late. Harpe simple. Anellus a narrowly sclerotized 

 U- or V-shaped plate. Aedeagus simple, rather stout; 

 penis with numerous sclerotized wrinklings, otherwise 

 unarmed. Vinculum stout, a trifle longer than broad, 

 slightly tapering; terminal margin truncate and more 

 or less concave. 



Female genitalia with ductus bursae and biu-sa popu- 

 latrix membranous except for a dorsal sclerotized plate 

 in genital opening; ductus and bursa more or less scobi- 

 nate; signum, if present, consisting of a granulate cup 

 or a minute central spine surrounded by a dense cluster 

 of scobinations ; ductus seminalis from a lobe of bursa 

 near junction of bursa and ductus bursae. 



Acrobasis as here defined is something of a composite 

 genus, dividing into two distinct groups on the develop- 

 ment of the apical process of gnathos. Typical Acro- 

 basis, comprising the European species with both 

 smooth-winged forms (including the type, tumidella) 

 and those with the raised-scale ridge on forewing, and 

 all smooth-winged American species (formerly under 

 Mineola), have the apical process of gnathos produced 

 as a simple, elongate hook (fig. 133b). All our Ameri- 

 can species with the raised-scale ridge on forewing 

 (except minimella Ragonot) have the apical process of 

 gnathos trifurcate, that is, produced as an elongate 

 hook with a lateral projection from each side before 

 apex. This latter group is strictly North American, 

 limited in distribution to the United States, and Canada 

 east of the Rocky Mountains (except for A. betulella 

 Hulst) . As far as I know there are no Old World species 

 with a similar gnathos. I had hoped to distinguish 

 this distinctly American group as a separate genus under 

 one of Hulst's available names (Seneca or Acrocaula) on 

 the basis of the trifurcate projection of gnathos and the 

 raised-scale ridge on the forewing; but minimella Rago- 

 not prevents this, as it falls between the two groups, 

 having the raised-scale ridge and the simple projection 

 of gnathos. The females offer no characters that will 

 serve to differentiate the groups. Their genitaha are 

 so similar that they cannot be used, in many cases, 

 even for specific separation, much less for group division. 



The males of the typical American group with raised- 

 scale ridge are somewhat more variable than the females, 

 exhibiting slight differences in the shape of the transtilla 

 and apical projection of gnathos. Figures of these 

 structures are given, for what they are worth, for all the 

 species represented by authentic males. The differ- 

 ences are comparative only, and I suspect that, when 

 extended series of the several species are available, they 



