44 



UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 207 



6 from below upper angle, straight; 8 and 9 long stalked, 

 for over two-thirds of their lengths; 10 from the cell, 

 closely approximate to the stalk of 8-9 for some distance 

 from cell; male without costal fold. Hind wing with 

 vein 2 from well before lower outer angle of cell; 3 from 

 the angle; 4-5 stalked for not over half their lengths 

 (usually for less), the stalk connate with or very closely 

 approximate to 3 at base; 7 and 8 strongly anastomosed 

 for most of their lengths beyond cell (free element of 8 

 very short); cell half the length of wing; discocellular 

 vein ciu'ved. Eighth abdominal segment of male 

 simple or with a weak, short pair of ventrolateral hair 

 tufts. 



Male genitalia similar to those of the foregoing 

 genus (Apomyelois) except: Apical process ofgnathos 

 slightly notched at apex; costa of harpe not produced 

 at apex (except slightly in muriscis and zeteki); penis 

 without cornutus; vinculum more truncate and less 

 tapering. 



Female genitalia with signum sometimes absent, 

 when present consisting of an elongate patch of scobina- 

 tions; ductus bursae normally longer than bursa, in- 

 dividually variable, simple, except for a weak scleroti- 

 zation at genital opening; ductus seminalis from bursa 

 near junction of bursa and ductus bursae. 



In male genitalia there is little or nothing of a generic 

 character to separate Ectomyelois from Apomyelois. 

 The two genera are distinguished by the shorter cell 

 and much more extended anastomosis of veins 7 and 8 

 of hind wing and the different place of departure of 

 ductus seminalis from the biu'sa of the female. 



The genus is erected for another group of species 

 (American and European) removed from Myelois of 

 Authors. These species all appear to be of tropical or 

 semitropical origin. They are distinguished from 

 typical Myelois by the much stronger anastomosis of 

 veins 7 and 8 of hind wing and the consequent reduction 

 of the free element of vein 8. 



78. Ectomyelois decolor (Zeller), new combination 

 Figures 198, 677 



Myelois decolor Zeller, Horae Soc. Ent. Rossicae, vol. 16, p. 222, 

 1881. — Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 58, 1893. — Dyar, 

 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 326, 1914.— Wolcott, 

 Journ. Agr. Univ. Puerto Rico, vol. 20, No. 1, p. 476, 1936. 



Nephopteryx ephestiella Hampson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 

 vol. 7, p. 257, 1901 (new synonymy). 



Forewing dark grayish fuscous with some white 

 powdering in basal area and considerably more in the 

 median area from slightly above inner margin and in 

 outer area between subterminal line and termen; trans- 

 verse lines white, well contrasted, especially the ante- 

 medial line which is rather wide, sharply oblique, 

 slightly indented at lower fold and (in some specimens) 

 in the cell, outwardly bordered by a more or less ob- 

 scure dark shade; subterminal line fainter, narrow, 

 sinuate, obscurely and narrowly dark margined; some 

 faint blackish streaking on the veins; discal dots at end 

 of cell distinct, separated; terminal dots normally well 

 contrasted and separate, blackish. Hind wings smoky 



white to pale smoky fuscous ; the veins darkened and a 

 narrow dark line along termen. Eighth abdominal 

 segment of male with hair tufts. Alar expanse, 19-30 

 mm. 



Male genitalia with outer margin of uncus rather 

 evenly rounded; central area of transtilla produced into 

 a moderately broad plate with notched terminal margin; 

 anellus a broad plate with wide, flattened, incurved, 

 stubby arms; vinculum nearly square in outline, its 

 terminal margin very slightly concave. 



Female genitalia exhibiting considerable individual 

 variation in the size of bursa and corresponding length 

 of ductus bm^ae which is usually considerably longer 

 than bursa; signum patch of variable shape but usually 

 elongate. The female genitalia exhibit no distinctively 

 specific characters. 



Type localities: Honda, Colombia {decolor, in 

 BM); Nassau, Bahamas (ephestiella, in BM). 



Food plants: Annona squamosa, Ceratonia sUiqua, 

 Hymenaea courbil; these records from reared specimens 

 in the U. S. National Museum. Presumably the species 

 has much the same hosts and habits as the closely re- 

 lated Ectomyelois ceratoniae. The larvae feed in the 

 fruits and are very difficult to separate from those of 

 ceratoniae. 



Distribution: Cuba: Baracoa (Aug., Oct., Nov.), 

 Havana, Santiago de las Vegas (Mar.), "Santiago Prov- 

 ince" (Sept., Oct., Dec). Puerto Kico: Arecibo, 

 San German (Apr.). Jamaica. Bahamas: Nassau. 

 Guatemala: Caynga (Mar., June, Aug.). PanamX: 

 Porto Bello (Mar., Dec). Colombia: Honda, "West 

 Slopes" (4,400 ft., Feb.). Venezuela: Aroa. British 

 Guiana: Tumatumari (June). French Guiana: CAy- 

 enne, St. Jean Maroni. Surinam: Surinam Kiver. 

 Brazil: Pard (June), Ponte Nova (Rio Xingu, Amazon- 

 as), Santa Catarina (July). 



Ragonot considered decolor as a probable variety of 

 ceratoniae; but there is a consistent difference in the 

 shape of the transtilla between the two which indicates 

 more than varietal or racial difference; and in unrubbed 

 and unfaded specimens the color difference is obvious 

 and consistent. E. decolor seems to be confined to the 

 New World while ceratoniae occurs in both the New and 

 Old World. Hampson's ephestiella is nothing more than 

 a rather large example of decolor. Like other species in 

 this genus, decolor varies greatly in size. 



79. Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller), new combination 

 Figures 199, 678 



Myelois ceratoniae Zeller, Isis von Oken, 1839, p. 176; 1848, p. 

 676. — Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 57, 1893. — Staudinger 

 and Rebel, Catalog der Lepidopteran des palaearctischen 

 Faunengebietes, vol. 2, No. 787, 1901. — Spuler, Die Schmet- 

 terlinge Europas, vol. 2, p. 216, 1910. — Forbes, Cornell 

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

 British Lepidoptera, p. 395, 1928. — Wolcott, Journ. Agr. 

 Univ. Puerto Rico, vol. 20, No. 1, p. 476, 1936.— Corbet 

 and Tarns, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, ser. B, vol. 113, p. 68, 

 1943. 



Myelois oporedestella Dyar, Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash., vol. 13, p. 30, 

 1911.— MoDunnough, Check list. No. 6065, 1939. (New 

 synonymy.) 



