60 



UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 207 



pella), or ciu-ved sclerotized bands armed with stout, 

 thornlike spines (ahemora, ignohilis) ; bursa large; ductus 

 bursae short, broad (narrowest in agapella); area sur- 

 roimding genital opening strongly sclerotized, the dorsal 

 sclerotization in the form of a band connected with the 

 supporting rods of eighth segment collar, and armed 

 with two or four spinelike projections (except in ignohilis 

 and some examples of argentina) ; ductus seminalis from 

 caudal area of bursa. 



This genus is easily distinguished by its striking male 

 characters; the strongly sclerotized, long-stemmed, bi- 

 furcate (hammer-clawed) uncus; the large pocket on 

 anal area of hind wing; the long, embedded labial palpus 

 with very short third segment; and minute maxillary 

 palpus. A similar bifurcate uncus is not found in any 

 other American genus except Dijundella Dyar. In the 

 type species of the latter {corynophora Dyar) the uncus 

 is somewhat produced and exhibits a slight bifurcation 

 at apex; but other species, which must also be referred 

 to Dijundella, lack this character. Dijundella separates 

 readily on other male structures — its strongly hooked, 

 partially free sacculus of harpe, its rounded irons, and 

 the narrow, strongly sclerotized, deeply invaginated 

 pocket of the sternite of the eighth abdominal segment. 



In Fundella the wing pattern varies so much within 

 any given species that it affords no reliable character 

 for specific identification, and the several species can be 

 separated with certainty only by their genitalia. 



119. Fundella pellucens Zeller 

 Figures 6, 231, 713 



Fundella pellucens Zeller, Isis von Oken, vol. 41, p. 866, 1848; 

 Horae Soc. Ent. Rossicae, vol. 15, p. 236, 1881. — Ragonot, 

 Monograph, pt. 1, p. 210, 1893.— Heinrich, Proc. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., vol. 96, p. 107, 1945. 



Ballovia cistipennis Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 44, p. 323, 

 1913. 



Fundella cistipennis (Dyar) Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 40, 

 1919. — Wolcott, Journ. Agr. Univ. Puerto Rico, vol. 17, 

 pp. 241-255, 1933; Journ. Agr. Univ. Puerto Rico, vol. 18, 

 p. 432, 1934; vol. 20, p. 477, 1936.— Scott, Journ. Agr. Univ. 

 Puerto Rico, vol. 24, pp. 35-47, 1940. 



Male antennal shaft with very small black basal tuft 

 (fig. 23 le). Forewing grayish fuscous more or less dusted 

 with whitish and with interspersed reddish brown scales 

 (in many specimens the ground color is reddish brown), 

 giving the moth a distinctly gray or gray-brown appear- 

 ance to the naked eye; a conspicuous, round, darker 

 brown or fuscous spot in the center of the area usually 

 occupied by the antemedian line, this dark spot more or 

 less obscured in some specimens, but in typical examples 

 outlined by whitish areas inwardly and outwardly and 

 not reaching to inner margin or costa of the wing; discal 

 mark at end of cell obscure, often absent; sub terminal 

 line (when distinguishable) faint, white, indented at 

 vein 6 and at submedian fold; a row of dark spots along 

 termen (present only in specimens having an appreciable 

 dusting of white scales). Hind wing white, translucent, 

 a faint fuscous border along costa and (in some speci- 



mens) a fuscous line on termen for a short distance from 

 apex; cUia white; anal pocket yellowish white. Mid- 

 tibia with a fringe of pale hairlike scales along dorsum. 

 Hind tibia with a rather long and slender tuft of pale 

 (whitish ocherous), hairlike scales from the knee joint 

 (fig. 231f). 



Female essentially like the male in color and markings 

 except that the dark spot near the base of the forewing 

 is more diffused, sometimes reaching to the costa. Hind 

 wing usually with a dark shade along termen. 



Alar expanse, 19-24 mm. 



Male genitalia with a large, strongly sclerotized 

 subanal plate, constricted before and beyond its middle. 

 Harpe with apex notched below costa; clasper short, 

 curved, situated near middle of harpe, and armed with 

 several setae at its knobbed apex. Aedeagus with a 

 cluster of several long, curved spines from apex; cor- 

 nutus long, straight, stout. 



Female genitalia with bm-sa copulatrix finely scobi- 

 nate but without signum; ductus bursae flattened, 

 broad, twisted and constricted near genital opening, 

 sclerotized throughout, the sclerotization involving 

 bursa adjacent to ductus bursae and ductus seminalis; 

 sclerotized band behind genital opening armed with 

 four long, stout, projecting spines; coUar of eighth seg- 

 ment invaginated at dorsal margin to form a sclerotized 

 pocket (fig. 713a). 



Type localities: St. Thomas, British West Indies 

 {pellucens, in BM); Barbados {cistipennis, in USNM). 



Food plants: Vigna unguiculata (cowpeas, black- 

 eyed peas, and garden peas), Bauhinia variagata, Can- 

 avalia ensiformis (swordbeans), Canavalia maritima 

 (black bean), Cajan eajan (pigeon pea), Phaseolus luna- 

 tus (cultivated and wild limabeans), Phaseolus sp. 

 (Brazilian specimens), Cassia ocddentalia (one reared 

 specimen from McCubbins MiUs, Puerto Rico, before 

 me; most records from this last plant are doubtful and 

 probably the result of a misidentification of Fundella 

 argentina as cistipennis). 



According to Scott the favored host in Puerto Rico is 

 the cowpea {Vigna unguiculata), and the species, while 

 frequent in limabeans, seldom does serious damage. 

 Potentially it is an insect of economic importance. The 

 larvae are primarily pod borers, but also bore into the 

 stems and feed on the flowers of their hosts. They 

 attack, as far as known, only Leguminosae. 



Distribution: United States: Florida, Hobe Sound 

 (May), Miami, (Apr., May), Jupiter (Apr.), Coconut 

 Grove, Marco Isl., Tampa (Mar.), Walton, Jensen 

 (U. S. Dep. Agr. rearings from limabeans, Feb. 

 1944), Riviera Beach, Vero Beach (J. R. Malloch, Dec. 

 1941). Barbados. Haiti: Damien (Dec, Feb.), 

 Port-au-Prince. Montserrat (Jan.). Cuba: Santiago, 

 Matanzas. Virgin Islands: St. Croix (Mar., Oct., 

 Nov.). Puerto Rico: San Juan, Rio Piedras (Mar.- 

 May), Isabella, Catano (July), Vieques Isl. (Apr.). 

 Brazil: Bala (May), Ceard. Bolivia. 



