AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



125 



25]. Nephopteryx delasealU HuJst 



Figure 818 



Nephopteryx delassalis Hulst, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 13, 

 p. 161, 1886. 



Salebria purpurella Hulst, Canadian Ent., vol. 24, p. 61, 1892. — 

 Forbes, Cornell Mem. 68, p. 627, 1923. 



Salebria pudibundella Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 350, 1893. — 

 McDunnough, Check list. No. 6208, 1939. (New synonymy.) 



Myelaea delassalis (Hulst) Barnes and McDunnough, Contribu- 

 tions, vol. 3, p. 198, 1916. — McDunnough, Cheek list. No. 

 6225, 1939. 



Thorax vinous red with a scattered dusting of white 

 and black scales. Forewing vinous red with a more or 

 less diffused bluish white shading in basal area immedi- 

 ately preceding inner border of the antemedial line; 

 this border a broad black band (the most conspicuous 

 marking on the wing), vertical, and fusing at costa with 

 the outer black border; the antemedial line itself faint, 

 but on most specimens its lower half distinct, narrow, 

 white, slightly oblique and inwardly angulate at lower 

 fold, bordered outwardly by a rather narrow, inter- 

 rupted black band; some blackish dusting on the whitish 

 subbasal area, black scaling along lower margin of cell, 

 on some of the lower veins from cell and on costa, espe- 

 cially towards apex; discal dots (when distinguishable) 

 separated, red, more or less shaded with black; dots 

 along termen very faint, blackish, more or less confluent. 

 Hind wing pale ocherous fuscous. Alar expanse, 22- 

 26 mm. 



Male genitalia similar to those oi femaldi; transtUla 

 absent; apical process of gnathos narrow (not triangu- 

 late); clasper short, slightly curved. Female genitalia 

 with two granulate patches on bursa copulatrix, a small 

 one on posterior dorsal surface, near the left side of 

 bursa and a larger on ventral surface at the antero- 

 lateral margin (closed end) of bursa. 



Type localities: Nevada {delassalis, in AMNH, ex 

 Rutgers) ; New Mexico (purpurella, in AMNH, ex Eut- 

 gers) ; Colorado (pudibundella, in Paris Mus.) . 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Distribution: United States: Arizona, White 

 Mts; Colorado, Beulah (June), Fort Collins; Utah, 

 Vineyard (June, July) ; Nevada; California, Inyo County 

 (May, June, July). 



The types of delassalis and purpurella are both fe- 

 males. Their genitalia are alike. Barnes and McDun- 

 nough (1916) first noted this synonymy and the mis- 

 identification of his species by Hulst (1900) and the 

 consequent misapplication of the name delassalis to 

 specimens oi femaldi Ragonot. The descriptions under 

 delassalis in Hulst's 1900 revision and in Ragonot's 

 monograph apply to femaldi and not delassalis. On 

 the other hand, Ragonot's description of pudibundella 

 applies in detail to the true delassalis. 



The venation of forewing is individually variable, as 

 with many species of Nephopteryx, vein 10 being either 

 connate or closely approximate at base to the stalk 8-9 

 (rarely short stalked with it) and veins 4 and 5 either 

 connate or closely approximate at base. 



252. Nephopteryx delassalis fraudlfera, new race 



Superficially appears quite distinct from delassalis; 

 the entire median area and much of the basal area of 

 forewing being heavUy dusted with whitish, giving the 

 general ground color a whitish blue-gray shade similar 

 to that of inconditella rather than the vinous red of 

 typical delassalis; the vinous red limited in fraudifera 

 to the thorax, extreme base of forewing, a broad band 

 outwardly bordering the subterminal line, and a faint 

 diffused shading just preceding it. The red shade 

 somewhat darker than in typical delassalis; the black 

 borders of antemedial line also somewhat broader, es- 

 pecially at costa. Alar expanse, 24-26 mm. 



Male and female genitalia agreeing in all details with 

 those of delassalis. 



Type locality: Oliver, British Columbia, (type in 

 Canadian Nat. Coll.; paratypes in USNM, 61345, and 

 Canadian Nat. Coll.). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Described from male type and one female paratype 

 from the type locality (June 8 and 9, 1923, G. B. Gar- 

 rett, collector) ; and paratypes from the following locali- 

 ties: "Shingle Cr. Road," Keremeos, British Columbia 

 June 22, 1935, A. N. Cartrell (9); Salmon Arm, British 

 Columbia, June 20, 1916, "W. R. B." (9); Kaslo, Brit- 

 ish Columbia, June 13, 1903, H. G. Dyar, "19366" (9); 

 Alberni, British Columbia, June 20, 1922, "W. R. B." 

 (d^), and Bellingham, Wash., May 30, 1922, J. F. G. 

 Clarke (d'). 



Presumably a distinct food plant as well as local race. 



253. Nephopteryx rubescentella (Hulst) 



Mineola rubescenklla Hulst, Canadian Ent., vol. 32, p. 169, 1900. 



Nephopteryx rubescentella (Hulst), U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 52, p. 



419, 1903.— McDunnough, Check list, No. 6173, 1939. 



Ground color of forewing slightly paler than that of 

 t3T)ical delassalis. Thorax also paler, pale purplish 

 gray or grayish ocherous. The dark bands bordering 

 antemedial line on forewing dull red or reddish orange, 

 containing no black except for occasional scattered 

 scales. Maculation otherwise as in typical delassalis. 

 Alar expanse, 26 mm. 



Male genitalia similar to those oi fernaldi. 



Type locality : Tennessee (type in USNM) . 



Food plant: Unknown. 



In addition to the male type, the National Collection 

 contains a male from Denver, Colo. (Aug.). I have 

 seen no other specimens. A female from the type 

 locality will be needed before the exact status of rubes- 

 centella can be determined. It may be no more than 

 a race or variety oi femaldi. 



254. Nephopteryx femaldi (Ragonot), new combination 

 Figures 340, 819 



Salebria fernaldi Ragonot, N. Amer. Phycitidae, p. 9, 1887. 

 Salebria delassalis Hulst (not Hulst), Phycitidae of N. Amer., 



p. 154, 1890. 

 Myrlaea delassalis (Hulst not Hulst) Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, 



p. 402, 1893. 

 Myrlaea fernaldi (Ragonot) McDunnough, Check list. No. 6226, 



1939. 



