108 



■UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 207 



57. Genus Ambesa Grote 



Anibesa Grote, N. Amer. Ent., vol. 1, p. 98, 1880.— Hulst, Phy- 

 citidae of N. Amer., p. 141, 1890. — Ragonot, Monograph, 

 pt. 1, p. 237, 1893. (Type of genus: Ambesa laetella Grote.) 



Tongue well developed. Antenna as in Pima and 

 Inter jectio. Labial palpus oblique, extending above 

 vertex; second segment roughly and rather broadly 

 scaled; third segment not defected forward, about one- 

 third as long as second, acuminate. Maxillary palpus 

 minute, filiform. Forewing smooth; venation as in 

 Pima. Hind wing with vein 3 from the angle of the 

 cell (but separated from discocellular vein by a short 

 spur), longer in proportion to 2 than in Pima, 4 and 5 

 anastomosed for nearly half their lengths, 7 and 8 closely 

 approximate for a short distance from cell; ceU one- 

 third the length of wing; discocellular vein curved, ex- 

 tended at lower angle but not so far as in Pima. Eighth 

 abdominal segment of male simple or {laetella) with a 

 pair of ventrolateral hair tufts. 



Male genitalia simUar to those of Interjectio except: 

 Harpe longer in proportion to combined tegumen and 

 imcus; its sclerotized costa with upper angle at apex 

 produced into a sharp point; sacculus finely haired, not 

 with coarse spinelike hairs of Pima or Interjectio. 

 Anellus a simple plate without lateral projections. 

 Penis armed with a single, long, stout cornutus; over 

 half as long as aedeagus. Vinculum as long as greatest 

 width. 



Female genitalia with bursa unsclerotized except at 

 junction of bursa and ductus bursae; ductus bursae 

 sclerotized except for narrow space at middle, broad- 

 ened at genital opening. 



A North American genus close to both Pima and 

 Interjectio, distinguished from both by its palpi, weakly 

 haired sacculus, single strong cornutus, and the inter- 

 rupted sclerotization of ductus bursae. The known 

 species occur only in the western parts of the United 

 States and Canada. 



223. Ambesa laetella Grote 

 Figures 18, 310, 790 



Ambesa laetella Grote, N. Amer. Ent., vol. 1, p. 98, 1880. — Hulst, 

 Phyoitidae of N. Amer., p. 141, 1890. — Ragonot, Mono- 

 graph, pt. 1, p. 240, 1893. — McDunnough, Check list, No. 

 6156, 1939. 



A brUliant, brightly colored species with clearly 

 marked pattern; forewing markings a rich red-brown 

 against a surrounding suffusion of ashy white; on mid- 

 costa a broad, elongate red-bro^'m patch extending from 

 outer margin of antemedial line to end of cell and from 

 costal edge well into cell, shading into a blackish line on 

 its lower margm, and bordered on its outer edge by an 

 angled black discal mark formed of the fused discal 

 spots; upper half of basal area, median area from the 

 brown midcostal patch to vein lb, and most of the area 

 beyond as far as subterminal line, ash white ; a brownish 

 suffusion, paler than the costal patch, along inner mar- 

 gin below vein lb, on some specimens intensified into a 

 constrastingly darkened patch above middle of inner 



margin; the transverse lines weU separated, clearly 

 marked ; antemedial line narrow, angled, white, bordered 

 outwardly by a narrow blackish brown line; subterminal 

 line sinuate, narrow, white, preceded and followed by 

 blackish brown costal spots, the inner one continued as 

 a brown inner bordering line, the outer expanding below 

 into a pale brownish suffusion filling tornal area; sub- 

 apical area dusted with white ; terminal dots fused into 

 a black line along terminal edge. Hind wing pale 

 smoky fuscous with a very faint yellowish tint. Alar 

 expanse, 28-30 mm. 



Male genitalia with apical process of gnathos con- 

 tinued below into a pair of narrow, converging, sclero- 

 tized lobes. TranstUla absent. Harpe with cucullus 

 narrow; sclerotized costa terminating xa a short, sharp 

 point at apex; an erect clasper arising from below costa 

 near base. Terminal margin of vinculum narrowly 

 rounded. Eighth abdominal segment of male with 

 paired tufts. 



Female genitalia with terminal, sclerotized portion 

 of ductus bursae abruptly widened and transversely 

 wrinkled toward genital opening. Eighth-segment col- 

 lar narrowly sclerotized. 



Type locality : Colorado (type in BM) . 



Food plant : Unknown. 



Distribution : United States : Arizona, White Mts. 

 (July, Aug.), Williams; Colorado, Fort Collins (Aug.), 

 Glenwood Springs (Aug.); Montana, Bozeman (Aug.), 

 Cut Bank (July); Utah, Provo, "South Utah" (July); 

 Nevada, Verdi (June) ; California, Inyo County (June) , 

 San Bernardino Mts. (July, Aug.), Sierra Nevada Mts.; 

 Washington, Pullman (June, July, Aug.). Canada: 

 Manitoba, Aweme (Aug.) ; Alberta, Calgary (July) . 



Aji easily recognized species and one of the most 

 beautiful of the American Phycitidae. 



224. Ambesa walsinghami (Ragonot) 

 Figures 312, 791, 792 



Pristophora walsinghami Ragonot, N. Amer. Phycitidae, p. 6, 



1887. 

 Ambesa walsinghami (Ragonot) Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., 



p. 142, 1890.— Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 239, 1893.— 



McDunnough, Check list. No. 6153, 1939. 

 Ambesa monodon Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 1, p. 34, 1913. — 



McDunnough, Check list, No. 6154, 1939. (New synonymy.) 



Forewing blackish gray faintly tinted with purplish 

 fuscous over the lower half of the wing; on costal half 

 from base to antemedial line, white faintly streaked 

 along the veins with black, the outer margin of the 

 whitish area oblique from lower angle of cell to costa 

 near beginning of subterminal line and, on some fresh 

 specimens, bordered outwardly by a transverse blackish 

 darkening of the ground color; some further ashy white 

 dusting in the subapical area beyond the subterminal 

 line; transverse lines well contrasted; the white ante- 

 medial line distinct only from inner margin to cell, 

 concave to lower fold thence inwardly oblique to the 

 cell, beyond which it is lost in the white dusting above, 

 its outer black margin begins as a black, oblique streak 

 from costa and continues outwardly as a fine black line 



