AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHTCITINAE 



81 



169. Piesmopoda apocerastes Dyar 

 Figure 751 



Piesmopoda apocerastes Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 45, 

 1919. 



Male antenna with basal segment cylindrical, slender ; 

 shaft with a long sinus (involving about eight of the 

 basal segments) lined by flattened blackish scales which 

 terminate in a slight tuft at the outer extremity of the 

 sinus. Labial palpus cylindrical, slender, reaching to 

 slightly above vertex. 



Forewing, except for a whitish border along costa, 

 suffused reddish brown to the naked eye, very slightly 

 darkened towards outer margin (under magnification 

 the groimd color shows a strong under tinting of oliva- 

 ceous ocherous) ; whitish costal border peppered with 

 scattered red scaling, a concentration of these along ex- 

 treme costal margin; discal dots separate, red; ante- 

 medial line obsolete or, at most, faintly indicated on 

 some specimens by an obscure, narrow, dark, trans- 

 verse shade ; subterminal line faint, weakly bordered by 

 narrow dark (reddish fuscous) lines. Hind wings smoky 

 white to pale smoky fuscous, darkening towards apex 

 and outer margin; the veins darkened. Alar expanse, 

 15-16 mm. 



Male genitalia similar to those of Isabella Dyar. Fe- 

 male genitalia without signum; a naiTow, strongly scle- 

 rotized plate at genital opening with weakly sclerotized, 

 anterior, lobelike projection. 



Type locality: Juan Vinas, Costa Kica (type in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: Mexico: Jalapa. Costa Rica: Juan 

 Vinas (May, Nov.). Dominica (British West Indies, 

 Feb.). French Guiana: St. Jean Maroni. Brazil: 

 Parand, Castro. 



A distinct species easily identified by its female geni- 

 talia. Several of the females before me in the National 

 Collection had been identified by Hampson as Piesmo- 

 poda semirufella. The genitalia of female specimens 

 from all the above-mentioned localities have been 

 checked. 



170. Piesmopoda montella Schaus 

 Figure 743 



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

 11, p. 247, 1913. 



Labial palpus of female slender, reaching shghtly 

 higher than vertex. 



Forewing light olivaceous brown; costal margin to 

 subterminal line broadly white irrorated with red- 

 brown, the extreme costal edge black at base, reddish 

 brown at middle ; no trace of any antemedial line ; sub- 

 terminal line slightly outcurved below vein 6, bordered 

 inwardly and outwardly from costa to vein 2 by blackish 

 bands into which some reddish scales are intermixed; 

 discal dots separated, reddish brown; a few blackish 

 dots on terminal margin. Hind wing pale, semihyaline 

 brown, darkening towards outer margin; the veins 

 darkly outlined. Alar e.xpanse, 24 mm. 



Female genitalia without signum; bursa copulatrix 



small, oblong; ductus bursae very short and broad, al- 

 most as broad at middle as the bursa, weakly sclerotized 

 at genital opening, finely sclerotized otherwise. 

 Eighth-segment collar simple, not fused ventrally. 



Type locality: Moimt Pods, Costa Rica (May; 

 type in USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



A distinct species easily identified by its large size 

 and distinctive genitalia; represented only by the fe- 

 male type. 



Genus 40: Atheloca 



[Venational division C. Forewing with veins 4 and 5 connate 

 and contiguous or partially anastomosed for one-third their 

 lengths from cell; 6 from upper angle of cell, connate with the 

 stalk of 8-9, bent towards base. Hind wing with cell less than 

 one-fifth the length of wing; discocellular vein oblique, straight. 

 Male genitaha with uncus hoodlike; lateral arms of gnathos fus- 

 ing into aneUus; harpe broadly angled at base of cucullus.] 



40. Atheloca, new genus 



Type of genus: Nephopteryx subrufella Hulst. 



Tongue well developed. Antenna of male simple, 

 shaft pubescent. Labial palpus slender, upturned, 

 reaching to or a trifle above vertex; third segment 

 shorter than second, acuminate. Maxillary palpus fili- 

 form. Forewing smooth; 11 veins, vein 2 from before 

 lower outer angle of cell ; 3 from the angle, much nearer 

 to 4 at base than to 2; 4 and 5 connate, contiguous or 

 partially anastomosed beyond base for one-third of 

 their lengths; 6 from upper angle of cell, curved towards 

 base and connate with the stalk of 8-9 ; 10 from the cell, 

 approximate to 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 vein 2, 

 closely approximate to the stalk of 4-5 at base; 4 and 

 5 stalked for half their lengths; 7 and 8 anastomosed 

 for most of their lengths beyond cell, the free element 

 of vein 8 very short; cell less than one-fifth the length 

 of wing; discocellular vein oblique, straight. Abdomen 

 of male with a pair of invaginated hair tufts at base; 

 sternite of eighth segment developed as a sclerotized 

 digitate pocket. 



Male genitalia Avith uncus hoodlike, triangulate, 

 densely haired on outer surface. Gnathos represented 

 only by its lateral arms which fuse into anellus at their 

 apices. Transtilla absent. Harpe broadly angled at 

 base of cucullus. AneUus a stout, triangulate plate 

 with strongly sclerotized, sharply out-curved, smooth 

 lateral arms (these latter may possibly represent ele- 

 ments of a divided transtilla fused with the anellus, but 

 this is extremely doubtful). Aedeagus and penis simple. 

 Vinculum longer than greatest width, but slightly taper- 

 ing to truncate terminal margin. 



Female genitalia with signa present in the form of 

 two small scobinate patches ; ductus bursae with a small, 

 weakly sclerotized collar near the jimction with bursa 

 copulatrix; genital opening simple, ductus seminalis 

 from bursa near the junction of bursa and ductus bur- 

 sae; eighth-segment collar completely fused ventrally. 



