AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



45 



Color and markings similar to decolor except: Fore- 

 wing more imiformly gray, with less of the white dust- 

 ing, especially on median area; antemedial line narrower 

 and usually more distinctly notched. The chief char- 

 acter, however, is in the transtilla of the male genitaUa. 

 The central projection of this organ is more constricted 

 and decidedly narrower on ceratoniae than on decolor, 

 and this difference seems to be consistent. In several 

 preparations of each species from different rearings and 

 localities I have found no intergrading examples. The 

 female genitaha offer no satisfactory distinguishing 

 characters. As in decolor, individual differences (even 

 in the proportional length of the ductus bursae) are 

 greater than any difference between the two species. 

 Alar expanse, 16-24 mm. 



Type localities: Laibach, Austria (ceratoniae, in 

 BM); Miami, Fla. (oporedestella, in USNM). 



Food plants: Carissa grandiHora, Cassia bicapsularis, 

 Ceratonia siliqua, Erishotyra japonica (chiefly in mum- 

 mied fruits), Livistona chinensis, Rohinia, Tamarindus 

 indica, Vachellia instdaris. Also on dried figs, dates, 

 raisins, and nuts in storage. Primarily a leguminous 

 feeder. The favored host seems to be the pods and 

 seeds of the corob (Ceratonia siliqua) . 



Distribution: United States: Florida, Homestead 

 (May), Key West (Apr.), Miami (May, Jidy, Aug., 

 Nov.). Puerto Rico: Arecibo (May), TrujOlo Alto 

 (Mar., July). Jamaica (July). Argentina: Buenos 

 Aires (Feb.), Catamarca (May, June). Also in the Old 

 World in the Mediterranean areas of Europe, Africa 

 and Asia and (by introduction in dried fruits) extending 

 into Central Europe and England. 



Apparently of Mediterranean origin, introduced by 

 commerce and estabhshed in some tropical and semi- 

 tropical areas of the New World. Probably much more 

 widely distributed than indicated by the above records 

 from specimens before me. The species is of minor 

 importance as a feeder on the seeds of the corob. It 

 has been foimd rather frequently at our port quarantine 

 stations in shipments of English walnuts from Italy. 



I have omitted all European synonymy as I have not 

 been able to verify its correctness. This, with further 

 references to European literature will be foimd in 

 Ragonot's monograph and the Staudinger and Rebel 

 catalog. Myelois phoenicis Durrant may be only a 

 color variety or race of ceratoniae; a small series before 

 me reared from dates from Algeria has the ground color 

 of forewing white, but the male genitalic characters 

 of ceratoniae. Corbet and Tams list phoenicis as a 

 synonym. 



80. Ectomyelois muriscis (Dyar), new combination 

 Figures 200, 680 



Myelois Iransitella Dyar (not Walker), Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 



vol. 47, p. 326, 1914. 

 Hypsipyla muriscis Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 330, 



1914. 

 Myelois palpalis Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 40, 1919 



(new synonymy). 



Forewing duU rusty brownish ocherous to reddish 

 brown; costal third to half of wing strongly dusted with 

 white, the white area rather weU contrasted against 

 dark ground color; antemedial line angidate, obscure, 

 indicated chiefly by a brown or blackish spot on its 

 outer margin at or just below costa; subterminal line 

 better defined, sinuate, margined inwardly and out- 

 wardly by narrow dark lines, the latter especially 

 emphasized at costa; discal spots usually distinct and 

 separated, sometimes one or the other obscured by the 

 white dusting or by an extension of the ground color, 

 rarely fused into a line along discocellular vein, blackish 

 brown; terminal dots more or less distinct. Hind wing 

 dull, translucent white to smoky fuscous (as a rule 

 darker on female than on male) ; a dark shade toward 

 apex, some dark shading on the veins and a fine dark 

 line along termen. Eighth abdominal segment of male 

 simple. Alar expanse, 16-26 mm. 



Male genitaha with apical projection of gnathos slen- 

 der, very long, extending at least as far backward as 

 apex of uncus (when genitalia are in natural position it 

 extends well beyond the uncus) ; transtUla a rather nar- 

 row, sclerotized band, looped backward in a rounded 

 arch; sclerotized costa of harpe very slightly and 

 bluntly produced at apex. 



Female genitaUa mth or without signa, when present 

 a patch of coarse scobinations, the patch varying in size 

 in different specimens; ductus bursae simple or very 

 weakly sclerotized on ventral surface at genital opening. 



Type localities: Cabima, Panamd (muriscis, in 

 USNM); Cayuga, Guatemala (palpalis, in USNM). 



Food plants: Mammea americana (larvae feeding in 

 the fruit), Theobroma cacao (larvae in the pods). 



Distribution: Haiti. Puerto Rico, Mayaguez 

 (July). British West Indies: Trinidad, several exam- 

 ples with no more specific locality, St. Clair (Mar.); 

 Grenada, several examples with no more specific locality; 

 Tobago (Apr.). Guatemala: Cayuga (Jan., Feb., Apr., 

 May, June), Quirigu^ (Sept.). Costa Rica: Esperanza 

 (May, Aug.). PanamX: Alhajuelo (Apr.), Cabima 

 (May), Porto Bello (Apr., Oct.), Rio Trmidad (Mar., 

 June). Colombia: La Esperanza (Dec), no specific 

 locality (June). BolIvia: "East Bolivia" (Oct.). 

 British Guiana: "Mazaruni Clearing" (Aug., Oct.). 

 French Guiana: Cayenne, St. Jean Maroni, St. 

 Laurent Maroni. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (June). 



This species is primarily a feeder in the pods of the 

 cacao and is weU distributed in tropical America wher- 

 ever its host occurs. All specimens in the National 

 Museum (except the holotypes of muriscis and palpalis) 

 had been identified by Dyar as "Myelois transitella 

 Walker." The two species are easily confused on super- 

 ficial characters, especially among faded and stained 

 tropical specimens; but their genitalia are quite distinct. 



Dyar's types of muriscis and palpalis are males and 

 aUke in genitalic and all other characters. It is very 

 probable that muriscis eventually will prove to be no 

 more than a variety (or synonym) of jurvidorsella 

 Ragonot. 



