AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHTCITINAE 



23 



line faint. Hind wing smoky fuscous. Alar expanse, 

 20-24 mm. 



Male genitalia figured from specimen from the origi- 

 nal Hulst series in the National Collection (bearing a 

 Hulst "type" label and presumably a paratype). 



Type locality: New York (type, 9, in AMNH, ex 

 Rutgers). 



Food plant: Betula. 



Distribution: United States: Maine (no further 

 locality, July), Sebec Lake (July); New Hampshire, 

 Center Harbor (July), Hampton (June); Massachusetts, 

 Amherst (June, July), Melrose; Connecticut, East River 

 (July); New York (no further locality, July); Colorado, 

 Piatt Canon (July); California, Siskiyou County. 

 Canada: Ontario, Trenton. 



There is little or nothing to separate collected speci- 

 mens of hetulella from comtoniella or rubrifasciella except 

 the complete absence of any reddish outer border to the 

 scale ridge on forewing (a distinction that does not hold 

 for all specimens of rubrifasciella) and a more glossy 

 sheen on the specimens of comptoniella and rubrifasciella 

 (a comparative difference that is displayed only when 

 series of the three species are seen side by side). The 

 thing that really distinguishes betulella is its host plant, 

 Betula. It also differs from the other species of Ameri- 

 can Acrobasis with the scale ridge on forewing in that it 

 has been found in the Rocky Mountain region and in 

 areas west thereof. The Colorado and California 

 records are from the specimens in the National Collec- 

 tion mentioned by Dyar. I have seen no later collec- 

 tions from any area west of the Rockies. 



37. Acrobasis rubrifasciella Packard 

 Figure 165 



Acrobasis rubrifasciella Packard, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New 

 York, vol. 10, p. 267, 1873.— Grote, Bull. U. S. Geol. Geog. 

 Surv. Terr., vol. 4, p. 693, 1878.— Hulst, Phycitidae of N. 

 Amer., p. 124, 1890. — Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 106, 

 1893.— Forbes, Cornell Mem. 68, p. 617, 1923.— McDun- 

 nough, Canadian Ent., vol. 65, p. 206, 1933; Check list. 

 No. 6103, 1939. 



Phycis rubifasciella (Packard) Beutenmuller, Canadian Ent., 

 vol. 22, p. 16, 1890 (spellingl and larva). 



Acrobasis alnella McDunnough, Canadian Ent., vol. 64, p. 36, 

 1922. 



Similar to betulella except that normally there is a 

 faint, but distinguishable, wine-red bar outwardly 

 bordering the scale ridge on forewing and that, in 

 series, the forewing surface has a more glossy appear- 

 ance. Neither of these differences holds for aU speci- 

 mens; nor are the genitalic differences noted by Mc- 

 Dunnough (1933), the width of the lateral flanges of 

 the apical projection of gnathos, reliable as a specific 

 character. Alar expanse, 20-24 mm. 



Type localities: Orono, Maine (rubrifasciella, in 

 MCZ); Ottawa, Canada (alnella, Canadian Nat. CoU.). 



Food plant: Alnus. 



Distribution: United States: Maine, Orono (June); 

 New Hampshire, Durham; Massachusetts, Amherst 

 (June) ; Connecticut, East River (July) ; New York, Cats- 

 kill Mts.; NoHh Carolina, Black Mts. Canada: On- 



tario, Ottawa (July) ; Quebec, Meach Lake (July) ; Nova 

 Scotia, Truro (July, Aug.). 



38. Acrobasis comptoniella Hulst 



Acrobasis comptoniella Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 125 

 1890. — Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 108, 1893. — Dyar' 

 Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., vol. 10, p. 46, 1908.— Forbes, Cornell 

 Mem. 68, p. 618, 1923.— McDunnough, Check hst, No. 6104, 

 1939.— Craighead, U. S. Dept. Agr. Misc. Pub. 657, p 

 450, 1950. 



Superficially like rubrifasciella except wine-red bar 

 bordering scale ridge of forewing always present and 

 of a more intense and darker shade. Hind wing gen- 

 erally darker. Alar expanse, 21-25 mm. 



Type locality: Long Island, N. Y. (type, 9, in 

 AMNH, ex Rutgers; paratjrpe, 9, from type locality 

 in USNM). 



Food plants: Comptonia and Myrica. 



Distribution: United States: Maine, Bar Harbor 

 (July), Kennebunk (July), Mount Desert (July); New 

 Hampshire, Center Harbor, Durham; Massachusetts, 

 Melrose (June), North Saugus; Connecticut, East River 

 (July) ; New York, Long Island ; New Jersey, Bergenfield, 

 New Lisbon (June); Michigan, Dickinson County. 

 Canada: Ontario, Trenton. 



The best way to separate comptoniella from the two 

 preceding species is by rearing from their respective 

 food plants. 



39. Acrobasis myricella Barnes and McDunnough 

 FiouBE 163 



Acrobasis comptoniella Grossbeck (not Hulst), Bull. Amer. Mus. 



Nat. Hist., vol. 37, p. 129, 1917. 

 Acrobasis myricella Barnes and McDunnough, Contributions, 



vol. 3, p. 221, 1917. — McDunnough, Check list. No. 6105, 



1939. 



Close to comptoniella Hulst, but superficially quite 

 different; smaller, white dusting in pale (basal and 

 central-costal) areas much denser and more contrasted ; 

 dark areas blackish gray with very faint purplish over- 

 tint; reddish bar bordering black scale ridge narrow and 

 inconspicuous; sub terminal line distinct, white. Alar 

 expanse, 17-19 mm. 



Type locality: Fort Myers, Fla. (Apr., May; type 

 in USNM). 



Food plant: Myrica. 



Distribution: Florida. 



Except for the type series from the type locality I 

 have seen only one specimen (a female from Royal Palm 

 State Park, Fla., Apr. 5, 1929, F. M. Jones, collector) 

 that can be definitely assigned to the name myricella. 

 We have, however, in the National Collection a series 

 of males and females reared by Chas. R. Ely at East 

 River, Conn., from Myrica cerifera, that are inter- 

 mediate between myricella and typical comptoniella 

 (reared from Comptonia), like the former in size and in 

 the intensity and extent of the white dusting on fore- 

 wing, but with the subterminal line obscure as in 

 comptoniella. I think they are only a variety of 

 comptoniella. Indeed, myricella may prove to be only 



