38 



UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN" 207 



ocherous, bordered outwardly by a red or purplish line 

 continued from a rather pronounced costal dash, and 

 inwardly by the vertical scale ridge, the latter red, 

 reddish ocherous or purple with some admixtm-e of 

 blackish scaling; subterminal line very faint with faint 

 purplish borders; discal spots at end of cell separated, 

 blackish ; black terminal dots faint. Hind wing hyaline 

 white with a faint smoky tint on some specimens; the 

 veins darkened (brown) and a narrow brown line along 

 termen. Undersides of male fore and hind wings in 

 the area between vein 2 and costa and from near end of 

 cell outward covered with shining sUvery scales; also 

 on forewing a short black median streak from base, 

 more or less extended into ceU along lower edge of upper 

 vein of cell and on hind wing a similar black streak 

 on upper vein of cell; these black sex-scalings not con- 

 stant and altogether absent from occasional males. 

 Alar expanse, 16-20 mm. 



Genitalia as given for the genus. 



Type locality: Honda, Colombia (type in BM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distkibution: Puerto Eigo: Puerto Real (Vieques 

 Isl., Apr.), San Germdn. Virgin Islands: KingshiQ 

 (St. Croix, June, Oct.). Colombia: Honda, Valparaiso. 

 Brazil: Castro, Santa Catarina. 



The males of this species can be distinguished at once 

 from any other American phycitid by the shining 

 silvery scaling on the imdersides of the wings; a char- 

 acter, however, shared by the Old World type of the 

 genus. The Old World metalliferllae exhibits a number 

 of slight but consistent male genitalic diflferences: The 

 heavier and more abundant spining on the penis, a 

 different shape to the apical projection of costa of harpe, 

 a different shape to the apices of the elements of trans- 

 tiUa (not developed into paired hooks as in the Ameri- 

 can species), and an anellus without spined lateral pro- 

 jections. Such differences are certainly specific but no 

 more. Through the com-tesy of the British Museum I 

 have been able to examine males of metallifereUa from 

 Pusa in India and Nyasaland in Africa. There were 

 no differences of any kind between them. 



67. Hypargyria slossonella (Hiilst), new combination 



Salabria slossonella Hulst, Canadian Ent., vol. 32, p. 170, 1900. 



Acrobasis tenuella Barnes and McDunnough, Contributions, vol. 

 2, p. 181, 1913. 



Acrobasis slossonella (Hulst) Barnes and McDunnough, Contri- 

 butions, vol. 3, p. 195, 1916. — McDunnough, Check list, 

 No. 6108, 1939. 



Not distinguishable from dejinitella except that the 

 males lack entirely the silvery scaling on the under- 

 sides of the fore and hind wings. 



I suspect that it is only a variety or race of dejinitella; 

 but until more material is available and something is 

 known of their life histories the two forms will have to 

 be kept as separate species. The genitalia of slossonella 

 exhibit no differences of any specific significance from 

 those of dejinitella. 



Type localities: Miami, Fla. (sZossoneZto, in AMNH, 

 ex Rutgers) ; Everglades, Fla. {tenuella, in tJSNM) . 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: United States: Florida, Everglades 

 (Apr.), Fort Myers (Apr.), Miami ("February-March"). 

 Mexico: Oaxaca. 



17. Chararica, new genus 



Type of genus: Myelois annuliferella Dyar. 



Tongue well developed. Antenna simple and pubes- 

 cent on both sexes. Labial palpus upturned, reaching 

 to vertex, slender; third segment about as long as sec- 

 ond, acuminate. Maxillary palpus squamous. Fore- 

 wing smooth; 11 veins; vein 2 from before, but near, 

 lower outer angle of cell; 3 from the angle; 4 and 5 

 separated at base, distance separating them slightly 

 less than that separating 3 and 4; 6 from below upper 

 angle of cell, straight; 8 and 9 stalked for slightly less 

 than half their lengths; 10 from the cell, approximate 

 to the stalk of 8-9 for a short distance; male without 

 costal fold. Hind wing with vein 2 from well before 

 lower outer angle of cell; 3 from the angle, connate 

 with or very closely approximate to 4 at base; 4 and 5 

 shortly stalked; 7 and 8 approximate for a short dis- 

 tance beyond cell; cell about half the length of wing; 

 discoceUular vein curved. Eighth abdominal segment 

 of male with a pair of ventrolateral hair tufts. 



Male with gnathos weak, lacking a central projec- 

 tion, the lateral arms articulating with a thinly sclero- 

 tized subanal plate. Uncus triangulate, sharply taper- 

 ing to a blunt point. Transtilla complete, with a cen- 

 tral sclerotized apron connecting transtUla and uncus, 

 and with a pair of widely spaced lateral arms each 

 bearing at its apex a clutter of slender spinelike setae. 

 Harpe with costa slightly concaved, strongly sclero- 

 tized, not produced at apex; cucuUus large, forming 

 about two-thirds of the harpe, outer margin broadly 

 rounded. Anellus with stubby, stout, convergently 

 directed, lateral projections. Aedeagus with lateral 

 margins serrated toward apex; penis with a few weakly 

 sclerotized wrinMings or granulations, otherwise un- 

 armed. Vinculxim stout, nearly square in outhne. 



Female genitalia with signum developed as a small, 

 finely granulate-scobinate, cup-shaped disk; bursa large; 

 ductus bursae, broad, short, less than half as long 

 as bursa, weakly sclerotized and transversely wrinkled 

 towards genital opening; genital opening broad, with 

 strongly sclerotized transverse plate along lower margin 

 and some weak scbbinations on the membrane above 

 and behind the opening; ductus seminalis from bursa 

 near junction of bursa and ductus bursae. 



This genus is erected for three North American spe- 

 cies now listed under Rhodophaea, but differing from 

 that genus in both venational and genitalic characters. 

 It is easily recognized by its male genitalia. The spe- 

 cies also have a pattern character which aids in iden- 

 tification: the usual discal dots on forewing at end of 

 cell are replaced by a small obicular marking. This is 

 weak on bicolorella but present and distinguishable on 

 most specimens. 



