AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



77 



of cell; 3 from the angle, approximately equidistant at 

 base from 2 and 4, 4 and 5 approximate for a short 

 distance from cell; 6 from upper angle of cell, slightly 

 bent towards base, connate with the stalk of 8-9; 10 

 from the cell, well separated from the stalk of 8-9; male 

 without costal fold. Hind wing with vein 2 from before 

 lower outer angle of cell; 3 from the angle, nearly as 

 long as 2, connate with 4; all veins long; 4 and 5 con- 

 tiguous or weakly anastomosed for about half their 

 lengths from cell; 7 and 8 wealdy anastomosed beyond 

 cell, their free elements long ; cell slightly less than one- 

 fourth the length of wing; discocellular vein curved for 

 a short distance from lower angle, thence vertical. 

 Eighth abdominal segment of male with sternite de- 

 veloped as a narrow, sclerotized pocket. 



Male genitalia similar to those of typical Davara 

 except: Free spine associated with anellus entirely 

 lacking; harpe with two-pronged clasper and apical end 

 of sacculus produced; penis with a pair of curved, flat- 

 tened, bladelike cornuti. Female genitalia with ductus 

 bursae sclerotized for a short distance from genitalia 

 opening; a single, angulate, projecting plate behind 

 genital opening; otherwise as in Davara. 



157. Sarasota plumigerella Hulst 

 Figure 258 



Sarasota plumigerella Hulst, Journ. New York Ent. Soc, vol. 8, 

 p. 222, 1900.— Grossbeck, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 

 vol. 37, p. 128, 1917.— McDunnough, Check list. No. 6120, 

 1939. 



Basal segment of antenna red spotted with black. 

 Prothorax wine red ; mesothorax and metathorax black. 

 Forewing black at base followed by a whitish ocherous 

 shade; antemedial line oblique, straight, ocherous 

 white, preceded by more blackish scaling, followed (es- 

 pecially on costa) by a strong black shade; remainder 

 of wing blackish fuscous stained mth wine red, the 

 costa on outer half distinctly reddish; sub terminal line 

 very faint, sinuate; discal spots obscm-e or absent; 

 terminal dots more or less confluent, blackish; cilia red. 

 Hind wing dull, translucent white; a dark shade at 

 apex and a narrow dark line along termen. Mid tibia 

 with a strong yellow hair tuft. Alar expanse, 11-14 

 mm. 



Male genitalia with terminal margin of vinculum not 

 produced at the edges but exhibiting no other specific 

 characters. Female genitalia slightly smaller but other- 

 wise not distinct from those oi furculella. 



Type locality: Palm Beach, Fla. (type in USNM). 



Food plants: Laguncularia racemosa, Coccolobis 

 uvvfera Garvae feetUng under a light silk webbing on 

 the leaves and flower buds). 



Distribution: Florida, Pahn Beach, Ramrod Key 

 (Apr.), Stock Isl. (Apr.), Sugar Loaf Key (Apr.). 



158. Sarasota furculella (Dyar), new combination 

 Figures 48, 259, 740 

 Cuba furculella Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 50, 1919. 



Larger and paler than plumigerella. Thorax and 

 forewing violaceous gray more or less tinted with red- 



dish; the blackish shade of plumigerella replaced in 

 furculella by red; antemedial line dull white with a 

 strong ocherous tint, especially towards inner margin, 

 its dark outer border red; some white dusting in median 

 costal area; discal dots more distinct, separate, red or 

 fuscous ; sub terminal line more distinct, narrow, sinuate, 

 dull white; terminal dots few, but distinct and separated, 

 blackish. Hind wings white with a faint smoky tint; 

 the veins very shghtly darkened. Midtibial hair tuft 

 as in plumigerella. Alar expanse, 14-16 mm. 



Male genitalia with terminal margin of vinculum 

 slightly produced at the sides; otherwise as in plumi- 

 gerella. Female genitalia a trifle larger than those of 

 plumigerella but showing no specific characters. 



Type locality: Santiago, Cuba (type in USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: Cuba: Baracoa, Matanzas, Santiago 

 (June). Puerto Rico: Dorado (May), Puerto Real 

 (Vieques Isl., Apr.). Dominica (Dec). Virgin Is- 

 lands: Kingshill (St. Croix, June, Dec). 



Very close to plumigerella but apparently a distinct 

 species, separable chiefly on color. 



159. Sarasota ptyonopoda (Hampson), new combination 



Phycita ptyonopoda Hampson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, vol. 

 16, p. 347, 1895. 



Hyalospila ptyonopoda (Hampson) Hampson, in Ragonot, Mono- 

 graph, pt. 2, p. 530, pi. 56, fig. 9, 1901. 



I have seen no examples of this species. From the 

 description and the figure in the Ragonot Monograph 

 the coloration and markings must be similar to those of 

 furculella. According to Hampson the male has a 

 strong, long tuft of scales from the hind femur. Clarke 

 has reexamined the type and teUs me that there is a 

 large expanded dorsal tuft from the base of the hind 

 femur and that there is no tuft on the midtibia. These 

 differences in tufting distinguish the species easily from 

 either plumigerella or furculella. A fine photograph of 

 the male genitalia, taken by Clarke, is before me. 

 They are like those oi furculella Dyar. Unfortunately 

 the abdomen had been glued on the type so there will 

 remain some question of placement for the species until 

 another male from the type locality and with tufted 

 hind femora is recorded. Alar expanse, 16 mm. 



Type locality: St. Vincent, Windward Islands, 

 British West Indies (type in BM). 



Food plant: Unloiown. 



In the U. S. National Museum is a rubbed male from 

 Jalapa, M6xico, labeled in Hampson's handwriting 

 "Phycita ptyonopoda Hampson," but it cannot be that 

 species. What remain of the legs show a yellow hair 

 tuft on midtibia and no trace of tuft on the hind femur 

 (the hind tibiae are missing). This specimen is an 

 Atheloca sp., close to bondari. 



39. Genus Piesmopoda Zeller 



Piesmopoda Zeller, Isis von Oken, 1848, p. 863. — Hulst, Phy- 

 citidae of N. Amer., p. 132, 1890. — Ragonot, Monograph, 

 pt. 1, p. 158, 1893. (Type of genus: Piesmopoda rubicun- 

 deUa Zeller.) 



