AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



137 



segment collar stout; bursa elongate, finely scobinate 

 over two-thirds of its inner surface but without signum 

 or other sclerotization; ductus bursae unsclerotized 

 except for a narrow, weak band near genital opening; 

 ductus seminalis from junction of bursa and ductus 

 bursae. At least half of membrane between coUar and 

 ovipositor finely and densely spinose. 



The genus is erected for a species hitherto referred to 

 Nephopteryx. It differs from the latter in its vestigial 

 maxillary palpi, the lack of cornutus or cornuti of penis 

 or the hair brush on harpe of its male genitaUa, the 

 hardened ovipositor of female, the shorter stalking of 

 veins 8 and 9, and the somewhat more separated condi- 

 tion at base of veins 4 and 5 of forewing. 



278. Telethusia ovalis (Packard), new combination 

 Figures 353, 843 



Pempelia ovalis Packard, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. 10, 



p. 269, 1873. 

 Nephopteryx lalifasciatella Packard, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., New 



York, vol. 10, p. 269, 1873. 

 Nephopteryx ovalis (Packard) Grote, BuU., U. S. Geol. Geogr. 



Surv. Terr., vol. 4, p. 696, 1878; North Amer. Ent., vol. 1, 



p. 11, 1879.— Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 144, 1890.— 



Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, p. 269, 1893. — Forbes, Cornell 



Mem. 68, p. 623, 1923. — McDunnough, Check list, No. 



6163, 1939. 

 Nephopteryx ovalis geminipunclella Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 1, 



p. 270, 1893. 

 Nephopteryx modestella Hulst, Canadian Ent., vol. 34, p. 170 



1900. — Barnes and McDunnough, Contributions, vol. 3, 



p. 196, 1916. 



Forewing ashy gray-white with a distinct powdery 

 appearance, the white dusting conspicuous on median 

 and basal areas; antemedial line oblique, zigzag (twice 

 notched), narrow, white, bordered inwardly by a broad 

 dark fuscous (blacldsh gray) band which is interrupted 

 by a streak of dull ocherous orange at lower fold (this 

 ocherous shade also continued along fold in median 

 area) ; antemedial line bordered outwardly by a blackish 

 gray bar at costa and similarly colored dots on cell and 

 just above inner margin; subterminal line sinuate 

 bordered inwardly by a more or less broken blackish 

 gray line and outwardly by a broader blackish gray, 

 brownish, or brownish ocherous shade (the latter when 

 present interrupted by blacldsh streaklets on the veins), 

 both borders strongly accented at costa; on most speci- 

 mens a narrow, oblique, dark shading across median 

 area from costal inner margin of subterminal line; discal 

 dots distinct, separated, blackish, the lower sometimes 

 expanded into a black smudge; a row of black dots along 

 termen. Hind wing pale smoky fuscous, more whitish 

 in some specimens, darker and somewhat brownish gray 

 in others. Alar expanse, 20-28 mm. 



Genitaha as given for the genus. 



Type localities: Maine (ovalis and latifasciateUa, 

 in MCZ) ; Washington State (geminipunctella, in Paris 

 Mus.) ; Massachusetts (modestella, in AMNH, ex Rut- 

 gers). 



Food plants: Antennaria, Eriophyllum ignotum. 

 These records from Washington specimens reared by 

 J. F. G. Clarke. Presumably on other Compositae. 



Distribution: United States: Maine, Orono (July), 

 Wales (July); New Hampshire, Durham, Hampton 

 (Aug.), Fort Washington (July); Vermont, Clarenton; 

 Massachusetts; Connecticut, East River (July); New 

 York, CatskUl Mts., Ilion (June, July) ; Colorado, Gun- 

 nison Coimty (near Altmont, July); Utah, Stockton 

 (June, July); Montana, Missoula (Aug.); Washington, 

 Bellingham (June), Chuckanut Bay (Whatcom County, 

 June), Godman Springs (Blue Mts., July), Kamiack 

 Butte (May) , Pullman (June, July) ; California, Placer 

 County (June), San Jacinto Mts. (July), Tuolumne 

 Meadows (July, Aug.). Canada: Ontario, Trenton 

 (July); Alberta, Banff (June, July); British Columbia, 

 Wellington. 



The species is variable in color, especially in the 

 Western areas of the United States and Canada. Most 

 of the specimens from Washington and British Colum- 

 bia have the white dusting on forewing more conspicu- 

 ous and the dark markings more strongly contrasted 

 than on eastern examples. However, there are inter- 

 grades, and no sharp line can be drawn on color between 

 the two areas. In the Tuolumne Meadows of Cali- 

 fornia there is a larger (26-28 mm.) and somewhat paler 

 form. Specimens from Colorado, Alberta, and occa- 

 sionally from Washington form another darker and 

 duller variety, the forewing showing little or no brown 

 shading, the pattern markings a dull black, and the 

 pale areas more gray than whitish and less strongly 

 contrasted against the dark markings than in other 

 Washington or eastern specimens. Three specimens 

 before me from California have the transverse dark 

 lines much weaker and the over-all color an ashy gray 

 with a slight bluish tint. The Utah examples are the 

 most distinctive of all the forms, their hind wings de- 

 cidedly paler, the forewing a very pale ashy gray and 

 all the darker pattern markings more or less obscured 

 or obliterated. I do not think that these varieties 

 represent anything but color forms or that any one of 

 them is entitled to a subspecific designation. More 

 and wider collecting throughout the Middle and Far 

 West will probably turn up still other color variants. 

 The species itself, despite its variability, is easily identi- 

 fied by its genitalia. 



279. Telethusia rhypodella (Hulst), new combination 



Glyptoteles rhypodella Hulst, Ent. Amer., vol. 3, p. 137, 1887. 



Nephopteryx rhypodella (Hulst), Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 144, 

 1890.— Ragonot, Monograph, p. 1, p. 270, 1893.— Barnes 

 and McDunnough, Contributions, vol. 3, p. 196, 1916.— 

 McDunnough, Check list. No. 6165, 1939. 



There are no specimens in the Rutgers Collection or 

 elsewhere that I have seen matching Hulst's description, 

 nor any available Oregon examples that could be re- 

 ferred to rhypodella. The alleged type at Rutgers, a 

 female without locality label and bearing only the num- 

 ber 42, is a typical representative of Phobus curvatella 

 (Ragonot). Unfortunately the Hulst "types" are fre- 

 quently as unreliable as his type designations and this 

 particular type is probably spurious. Hulst's descrip- 

 tions, on the other hand, are usually more reliable and I 



