AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHTCITINAE 



97 



Genus 52: Caristanius 



[Venational division B. Forewing with veins 4-5 separated at 

 base and divergent shortly beyond, smooth; hind wing with vein 

 3 approximate to the stalli of 4-5 at base. Eighth abdominal 

 segment of male with compound tufts. Antenna of male with 

 sinus and scale tufts on base of shaft. Labial palpus obliquely 

 ascending; second segment of male grooved. Ma.xillary palpus 

 of male in the form of an aigrette. Male genitalia with a pair of 

 long, strongly sclerotized arms from ventrolateral margins of 

 uncus; transtilla absent; gnathos absent; a single strong cornutus 

 on penis. Female genitalia with signa present, developed as 

 coarsely spined plates; ductus bursae ribbonlike, sclerotized.] 



52. Caristanius, new genus 



Type of genus: Oligochroa pellucidella Ragonot. 



Tongue well developed. Antenna of male with sinus 

 and stout scale tuft on base of shaft, finely pubescent; 

 of female simple. Labial palpus obliquely ascending; 

 on male stout and smooth scaled (the palpi appressed 

 to each other), second segment long, reaching well above 

 vertex, grooved to hold maxillary palpus, third segment 

 very short, hidden in scaling of second; on female slen- 

 der, shorter, reacliing slightly above vertex, more 

 roughly scaled, third segment over half as long as sec- 

 ond, acuminate. Maxillary palpus of male in the form 

 of an aigrette; of female squamous. Forewing smooth; 

 11 veins; vein 2 from before lower outer angle of cell; 



3 from the angle; 4 and 5 shortly separated at base and 

 divergent very shortly beyond; 6 from below upper 

 angle of cell, straight; 8 and 9 stalked for half or less 

 than half their lengths; 10 from the cell; male without 

 costal fold. Hind wing with vein 2 from before lower 

 outer angle of cell; 3 from the angle, approximate to 

 stalk of 4-5 at base; veins 2 and 3 of moderate length; 



4 and 5 stalked for half their lengths ; 7 and 8 approxi- 

 mate beyond cell (for less than half their lengths) ; cell 

 less than half the length of wing (but more than one- 

 third) ; discocelhdar vein curved. Eighth abdominal 

 segment of male with compound ventral scale tuft. 



Male genitalia with uncus short, decidedly broader 

 than long; a pair of long, strong, sclerotized arms from 

 its ventrolateral angles. Gnathos absent (unless the 

 fused arms from uncus can be interpreted as parts of 

 this organ, which is extremely doubtful). Transtilla 

 absent. Harpe with costa strongly sclerotized and with 

 a strong projection from its base or a strong clasperlike 

 projection from below it near base; sacculus short, nar- 

 row, weak, bluntly produced at apex; cucullus very nar- 

 row, weak and reduced. Anellus a narrow band with a 

 central, bifurcate, bandlike projection, flanked by elon- 

 gate, lateral lobes. Aedeagus elongate, moderately 

 slender, straight; penis armed with a single strong cornu- 

 tus and some fine spines and granulations. Vinculum 

 stout, as long as or longer than greatest width. 



Female genitalia with signa present, developed as 

 elongate, curved, sclerotized, strongly and coarsely 

 spined plates; ductus bursae flattened, ribbonlike, 

 strongly sclerotized except for a narrow space near 

 middle, also granulate towards bursa, the granulations 

 extending into bursa; at genital opening ductus bursae 



300329 — 56 8 



very strongly and broadly sclerotized ; ductus seminalia 

 from bursa near junction of bursa and ductus bursae. 



The species referred here have been placed in Elasmo- 

 •palpus. They agree with the type of that genus {ligno- 

 sellus) on antennal, palpal, and venational characters; 

 but differ strikingly on male and female genitalic struc- 

 ture. The characteristic uncus with its long, produced, 

 basal arms, the reduced, weak sacculus, the lack of any 

 distinguishable gnathos, and the flattened, ribbonlike 

 ductus bursae with its strongly sclerotized development 

 at genital opening at once distinguish Caristanius from 

 Elasmopalpus. 



204. Caristanius pellucidellus (Ragonot), new combination 



Figures 297, 775 



Oligochroa pellucidella Ragonot, Bull. Soc. Ent. France, 1888, 



p. cxl. — Moschler, Die Lepidopteren-Fauna von Portorico, 



p. 329, 1890. 

 Elasmopalpus pellucidellus (Ragonot), Monograph, pt. 1, p. 429, 



1893. 

 Rhodophaea melanoplaga Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 



2, p. 519, 1901 (new synonj'my). _ 



Ground color of forewing variable, pale brownish gray 

 to dark gray %vith a faint purplish or reddish brown tint; 

 transverse markings obsolete on most specimens; on 

 some the antemedial line indicated by a narrow, very 

 faint, pale line between vein lb and inner margin, pre- 

 ceded by a pale reddish or brownish patch more or less 

 overlaid by black scaling (on most specimens before me 

 this spot entirely absent) ; subterminal line distinguish- 

 able only on a few specimens, very faint, indicated 

 chiefly by some short blackish streaklets on the veins; 

 discal spots usually distinct but faint, blackish, sepa- 

 rated; a row of black dots along termen. Hind wing 

 transparent white with a dark shade along costa and at 

 apex and extending as a dark line downward along ter- 

 men; on the males this dark line extends only to about 

 middle of termen, on females to or nearly to anal angle 

 of wing. Alar expanse, 19-25 mm. 



Male genitalia with costa of harpe broadly and stoutly 

 sclerotized, a large oval projection from base and its 

 apical end folded backward and contorted. Cornutus 

 about one-third as long as aedeagus. Vinculum about 

 as long as greatest width. 



Female genitalia with granidations of ductus bursae 

 extending for a very short distance into bursa. Eighth- 

 segment collar not extended to ventral surface; at- 

 tached laterally to the extended sclerotization of ductus 

 bursae at genital opening; stoutly sclerotized dorsally 

 and with an inwardly projecting curved sclerotized 

 apron; between this apron and ductus bursae a gland 

 of unknown function extends into abdomen, terminat- 

 ing in a bulb with thickened membrane. This structure 

 not noted on other species of the genus. 



Type localities: Puerto Rico {pellucidellus, in Paris 

 Mus.); Sao Paulo, Brazil {melanoplaga, in BM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: Puerto Rico: Puerto Real (Vieques 

 Isl., Apr., July), Rio Piedras (Aug., Sept.), San German 

 (Apr., Aug.). St. Vincent. Jamaica. Surinam: Zan- 



