AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



49 



86. Pseudodivona eanta-maria Dyar 



Figure 690 



Pseudodivona sanla-maria Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 54, 

 1919. 



Known only from the two females of the type series. 

 The coloration and markings are more like those of 

 commensella except that the dark striping of the veins is 

 fainter and the discal dots smaller, paler and less con- 

 spicuous, like those of cispha. It is quite possible that 

 these specimens are only larger, darker, better marked, 

 female examples of cispha and equally possible that 

 both cispha and santa-maria are only varieties of com- 

 mensella. Alar expanse, 21 mm. 



Type locality: Volcdn Santa Maria, Guatemala 

 (July; type in USNM). Paratype from Cayuga, 

 Guatemala (May). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



87. Pseudodivona carabayella Dyar 



Figures 206, 691 



Pseudodivona carabayella Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr. vol. 7, p. 54, 

 1919. 



Larger and more strikingly marked than any of the 

 preceding species. Forewing with pale areas pure 

 white; lower area of wing (between cell and inner mar- 

 gin) vinous brown (not "purplish red" as in Dyar's 

 original description) except for an extension of the 

 white behind the antemedial line where it reaches 

 almost to inner margin; an elongate black patch on 

 costa at base; antemedial line indicated by the usual 

 white spot on inner margin and its black outer border, 

 the latter is rather broad from costa, strongly angled 

 and extends from costa to the lower margin of the cell ; 

 a subbasal black spot in the cell; subterminal line indi- 

 cated above cell only by its widely spaced black inner 

 and outer borders; the inner black border a strong slant- 

 ing black dash extending from costa almost to the lower 

 discal dot at end of cell (indicating a deep angulation of 

 the subterming line); the outer black border a much 

 shorter, slanting, dash from apex to vein 6 ; from about 

 vein 5 the subterminal line is indicated by a faint white 

 line through the brownish ground color and is bordered 

 inwardly by a few rather faint blackish spots; discal 

 spots, distinct, black and somewhat enlarged, the lower 

 one particularly. Hind wing white, more or less tinted 

 with grayish on some specimens; veins darkly outlined; 

 a narrow dark line along termen. Alar expanse, 23-28 

 mm. 



Apical process of gnathos of male genitalia figured 

 from type. Another male from Incachaca, Bolivia (in 

 BM) , exhibits some variation from the type in the shape 

 of the apical process of gnathos (fig. 206a). It is a 

 small specimen (23 mm.) and seems to have the dark 

 areas and markings of forewing paler, but it is a rubbed 

 and faded example; other specimens from the Schaus 

 Collection in the National Museum and from the same 

 Bolivian locality are typical in all details. The British 

 Museum specimen is probably nothing more than an 

 individual variant. 



Type locality: Oconeque, Carabaya, Peini (tjrpe in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: PertJ: Carabaya, Oconeque, Tinguri. 

 Bolivia: CocAa6am6a,1(. Incachaca. Colombia: San 

 Antonio (Dec). 



All Peruvian examples in the U. S. National Museum, 

 British Museum, and Janse Collection are males. The 

 only female of the species that I have seen is the 

 specimen from Incachaca, Bolivia, from which the 

 genitalia are figured. 



The species is undoubtedly a distinct one. The 

 widely spaced, strong, black dashes bordering the sub- 

 terminal line indicate this as well as the ciliations of the 

 male antenna, which are longer than those of any of 

 the preceding species, being somewhat longer than the 

 width of the antennal shaft. 



24. Protomoerbes, new genus 



Type of genus: Protomoerbes aberrans, new species. 



Characters of Pseudodivona except: Labial palpus 

 upturned (but otherwise as in Pseudodivona) ; forewing 

 with vein 3 closely approximate to the stalk of 4-5 at 

 base, male with narrow costal fold; hind wing with veins 

 4 and 5 stalked for at least three-fourths of their length, 

 cell one-third the length of wing; eighth abdominal 

 segment of male without hair tufts; transtilla of male 

 genitalia incomplete, its elements elongate-angulate, 

 their apices not knobbed or expanded. 



In many details this genus is more like Moerbes of 

 Group II than Pseudodivona. It differs from both 

 genera in its upturned rather than oblique palpi. The 

 cilia of the male antenna are also shorter (slightly less 

 than the width of the shaft), but this is hardly a generic 

 character. Wing pattern, color, and general habitus 

 are like those of both Pseudodivona and Moerbes. All 

 three have the contrasting white spot on inner margin 

 of forewing indicating the base of the antemedial line. 

 Protomoerbes in every way seems to be an intermediate 

 and connecting link between Pseudodivona and Moerbes. 



It is represented by only two species from Colombia. 

 Their females are unknown. 



88. Protomoerbes aberrans, new species 

 Figure 208 



Forewing white; basal area, median area below cell 

 and outer area below apex shaded with pale brown; a 

 yellow longitudinal median streak from base to end of 

 cell cutting the antemedial line; antemedial line a con- 

 spicuous white spot on inner margin and a fainter white 

 spot on costa, bordered outwardly below costa and on 

 inner margin by blackish scaling and inwardly by a 

 subcostal black streak reaching nearly to base of wing 

 and by scattered black dusting at inner margin; veins 

 and lower fold beyond antemedial more or less streaked 

 or dusted with black, the black streaks especially marked 

 and angulate at inner margin of subterminal line; lower 

 discal dot expanded and extended along lower vein of 

 cell, black; upper discal dot not distinguishable; sub- 



