AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



75 



are probably only individual differences. Variations 

 as great are exhibited among reared examples of caricae 

 from different localities. Alar expanse, 15 nun. 



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



Food plant: Unknown (presumably papaya). 



152. Daveira nerthella (Schaus), new combination 



Figure 738 



Piesmopoda nerthella Schaus, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 



11, p. 247, 1913. 

 Homalopalpia eulhales Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, 



p. 403, 1914. 

 Homalopalpia nerthella (Schaus) Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, 



p. 49, 1919. 



Similar to caricae except averaging somewhat larger; 

 brush in notch of basal segment of male antenna 

 ocherous, the segment itself smaller; the subbasal pale 

 shade before the antemedial line more extended on the 

 male and much more so on the female, reducing con- 

 siderably the blackish brown shading of the basal area 

 and forming with the slightly paler antemedial line a 

 broad pale pinkish ocherous band; antemedial line 

 straight, not angled below cell, its inner and outer 

 bordering lines very faint and narrow, reddish brown; 

 discal dots separate (never fused) and often only the 

 lower one distinguished; on females more or less of an 

 ocherous tint over the brownish median shade following 

 the antemedial line, especially towards costa. Alar 

 expanse, 19-22 mm. 



Male genitalia like that of the following species 

 {paranensis) except tuft from near base of sacculus pale 

 yellow. Eighth-segment collar without ridges on the 

 invaginated portion; narrower on venter than in other 

 species; posterior ventral margin without notch or but 

 slightly notched. The extent of this notching is indi- 

 vidually variable in all the species and is not a reliable 

 character for specific separation. 



Type localities: Juan Villas, Costa Rica {nerthella, 

 in USNM); Orizaba, M6xico (euthales; in USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: M:6xico: Jalapa, Orizaba. Guate- 

 mala: Volcfin Santa Maria (June, July). Costa Rica: 

 Juan Vinas (Jan.) ; other Costa Rican females without 

 further locality designation in Janse Collection. 



Doubtfully distinct from paranensis. The chief dif- 

 ferences between the males are in coloration and be- 

 tween the females in the width and notching of the 

 eighth-segment collar. There is the same amount of 

 individual variation in wing color and maculation as in 

 other species, some specimens generally paler than 

 others, some with the subterminal line distinct, others 

 with it almost obsolete. 



Dyar (1919) recognized the synonymy of his euthales 

 with nerthella. The type of the former is a male, of 

 the latter a female. 



153. Dayara paranensis (Dyar), new combination 

 FiGUBB 255 



Homalopalpia paranensis Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 49, 

 1919. 



Similar to nerthella except brush in notch of basal seg- 

 ment of male antenna brownish; subbasal pale shade 

 before antemedial line of forewing much narrower, re- 

 stricted (especially on females) by a greater extension 

 of the black basal scaling; median area along costa 

 rather strongly tinted with ocherous drab or reddish 

 ocherous (on the type and one female). Alar expanse, 

 18-19 mm. 



Male genitaha with no fine spine cluster surroimding 

 the free, forked spine associated with anellus. Tuft 

 from near base of sacculus black. Female genitalia 

 similar to those of azonaxsalis. 



Type locality: Castro, Parang, Brazil ''type in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



At first glance Dyar's type seems quite distinct from 

 males of nerthella, its palpi and antennae being much 

 darker and the pale transverse antemedial shade less 

 contrasted against the ground color. However the 

 specimen is stained and none of the other examples of 

 the species before me is in very good condition. Be- 

 sides the type, I have before me a female from the type 

 locahty, another female from Santa Catarina, Brazil, 

 and a male from the British Museum collection from 

 Sao Paulo, Brazil, that is without abdomen but a good 

 match for Dyar's type. Both it and the type had been 

 originally identified by Hampson as columnella Zeller. 



I suspect that when additional South American ma- 

 terial is available paranensis will prove to be nothing 

 more than a variety of nerthella, and that eventually 

 both nerthella and paranensis will fall to azonaxsalis of 

 Walker. 



154. Dayara azonaxsalis Walker 

 Figure 737 



Davara azonaxsalis Walker, List, pt. 19, p. 1020, 1859. 

 Phycita azonaxsalis (Walker) Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, 

 pt. 2, p. 531, 1901. 



I have seen no specimens of Davara from the type 

 locality and none from anywhere of the size of Walker's 

 type (30 mm.). A photograph of the type and its geni- 

 talia supplied by Tams are before me. The antemedial 

 line of forewing shows an angulation between ceU and 

 inner margin similar to that on tj^iical caricae. The 

 subterminal line is rather distinctly marked and the 

 basal area much like that of females of nerthella, but 

 not so strongly contrasted. None of these features, 

 however, is enough for specific separation. 



The female genitaha show an appreciably wider 

 eighth-segment collar than that of nerthella and a dis- 

 tinct notch in its ventroposterior margins. The much 

 smaller female of paranensis from Castro has similar 

 but somewhat smaller genitalia. 



Type locality: Rio de Janiero, Brazil (type in Ox- 

 ford Univ. Mus.). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



155. Davara (?) interjecta, new species 

 FiouKBS 256, 734 



Male antenna with basal segment enlarged and 

 notched as in caricae, but the usual brush of fine bristles 



