AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITDSrAE 



15 



whitish or pale smoky fuscous. Alar expanse, 14-21 

 mm. 



Male genitalia exhibiting no distinctive specific 

 characters. Female genitalia with several short, paral- 

 lel lines of fine scobinations in bui-sa ; signum present as 

 a small, granulate, cup-shaped patch. 



Type locality: California (type in Paris Mus.). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: California, Cisco (July), Colfax (July), 

 Pasadena, San Diego (June), Santa Catalina Isl. (May), 

 Warners (San Diego County, Aug.); Arizona, Gila 

 County, Eedington; New Mexico, Albuquerque (July), 

 Las Vegas; Utah, Provo (July). 



Hulst in 1889 made comptella a synonym of his 

 caliginella and it has remained as such in our lists. 

 However, the two are genericaUy as well as specifically 

 distinct, caliginella having the basal segment of the 

 male antenna cylindrical (not triangularly expanded at 

 apex as in Acrobasis). It is superficially similar in 

 color and markings to comptella; but the black line 

 bordering the whitish basal patch of forewing is 

 distinctly broken, its vertical portion not reaching to 

 inner margin. I am removing both caliginella and 

 Mineola supposita Heinrich to Rhodophaea. 



Genus Acrobasis: Species 8. A. minimella 



[Male with apical process of gnathos a simple hook; forewing 

 with raised-scale ridge.] 



8. Acrobasis minimella Ragonot 

 Figure 140 



Acrobasis minimella Ragonot, Ent. Amer., vol. 5, p. 113, 1889; 



Monograph, pt. 1, p. 105, 1893. — McDunnough, Check list, 



No. 6088, 1939. 

 Acrobasis nigrosignella Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 123, 



1890.— Dyar, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 10, p. 43, 



1908. 



Forewing grayish fuscous with a purplish sirffusion! 

 some whitish dusting on basal area and, very faintly, 

 from costa before sub terminal line to discal spots; 

 antemedial line obscm-e except towards inner margin, 

 where it is a narrow whitish line; a blackish triangular 

 costal patch following the antemedial line and continued 

 as thin black line on its outer border to inner margin; 

 vertical scale ridge black; area between scale ridge and 

 antemedial line ocherous or reddish; discal spots at 

 end of cell small, obscure, separated. Hind wing smoky 

 fuscous. Alar expanse, 13-16 mm. 



Female genitalia exhibiting no specific difference to 

 distinguish them from those of other species having the 

 raised-scale ridge on forewing. 



Type locality: Texas (minimella, 9, in Paris Mus., 

 and nigrosignella, in AMNH, ex Rutgers) . 



Food plant: Oak (this food plant record from speci- 

 men, in USNM, reared at Falls Church, Va., under 

 Hopkins No. 9847, C. F. Johansen). 



Distribution: Texas (Apr.) ; Mississippi, Starkville 

 (July); Louisiana, Winfield (June); North Carolina, 

 Southern Pines (Apr., May, June, Aug.), Tryon (May); 



Virginia, Falls Church ; District oj Columbia, Washing- 

 ton (June) ; New Jersey, Lakehurst (July) . 



The species is easily recognized by its size, color, and 

 male characters. The sex-scaling is present and con- 

 sists of long broad black costal streaks on underside of 

 fore and hind wings. 



Genus Acrobasis, Species 9-22: A.feltella to A. 

 demotella 



(Male: Apical process of gnathos trifurcate; forewing with raised- 

 scale ridge; black sex-scaling beneath.] 



9. Acrobasis feltella Dyar 



Figure 141 



Acrobasis feltella Dyar, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 11, 

 p. 214, 1910.— Ely, Ins. Inso. Menstr., vol. 1, p. 51, 1913.— 

 McDunnough, Check list, No. 6080, 1939. 



Head, basal segment of antenna, thorax, and basal 

 area of forewing white ; a faint rosy tint on the posterior 

 of thorax and a more obvious rosy shading on lower 

 half of pale basal area of forewing (more intense and 

 extended on the female than on the male) ; remainder 

 of wing dark gray-brown (in fresh specimens blackish 

 brown) with a faint, pale grayish shading in terminal 

 area and a whitish spot on inner margin near tornus 

 (the lower end, and contrasted portion of the otherwise 

 obscure subterminal line) ; black discal dots at end of 

 cell distinguishable but somewhat obscured in the dark 

 ground color, usually separate, but occasionally fused; 

 antemedial scale ridge blackish. Hind wing of male 

 white at base, shading to smoky fuscous outwardly; 

 the veins in both sexes faintly darkened. Alar expanse, 

 14-18 mm. 



Black sex-scaling consisting of a short patch at base 

 of costa on forewing. 



Type locality: Warner, N. Y. (type in USNM). 



Food plant: Hickory (larva boring in petioles). 



Distribution: United States: New York, Warner 

 (July) ; Connecticut, East River (Jidy) ; Illinois, Putnam 

 County (June). Canada: Ontario, Merivale (June). 



This species, palliolella Ragonot, and caryalbella Ely 

 are identical in color, maculation, and all superficial 

 characters. They exhibit trifling differences in their 

 male genitalia, especially in the shapes of their trans- 

 tillae and the apical processes of their gnathi. These 

 differences are probably no more than individual in 

 character. We figure them for what they are worth. 

 Ely (1913) noted differences in the larval cases of 

 feltella and caryalbella which should be significant. He 

 also saw, or thought he saw, a difference in the sex- 

 scaling of Dyar's type and the type of caryalbella. In 

 this he was in error; for the sex-scaUng is identical in 

 both types and on the males of palliolella and juglandis 

 as well. I suspect that the three names (feltella, 

 palliolella, and caryalbella) apply to a single species; but 

 this cannot be determined until the biologies and larvae 

 of the various hickory-feeding forms of the genus are 

 more thoroughly studied. Until that is done it seems 

 best to keep the names separated. 



