AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



197 



of N. Amer., p. 187, 1890. — Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, 

 p. X, 1901. — Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, p. 

 183, 1901. (Type of genus: Honora mellinella Grote.) 



Tongue well developed. Antenna simple, pubescent. 

 Labial palpus oblique, the third segment porrect (de- 

 flected forward). Maxillary palpus small, squamous, 

 appressed to face. Forewing smooth; 11 veins; veins 

 2 and 3 closely approximate and from the lower outer 

 angle of cell; 4 and 5 stalked, the stalk shortly sepa- 

 rated from 3 at base; 6 from below upper angle of cell, 

 straight; 10 from the cell, at base shortly separated 

 from 8-9; male without costal fold. Hind wing with 

 vein 2 from the lower outer angle of cell, connate with 

 3, 3 and 5 stalked; 7 and 8 anastomosed for nearly half 

 their lengths beyond cell; cell one-third the length of 

 wing; discocellular vein curved. Eighth abdominal 

 segment of male with a pau' of ventrolateral hair tufts. 



Male genitalia with apical process of gnathos a 

 stout hook. Harpe narrowly elongate; apex rounded 

 or bluntly pointed; an erect, narrow, short clasper 

 arising from sacculus near base of cucullus. Anellus a 

 nearly flat plate with a cupped depression at base and 

 posterior margin more or less notched. Aedeagus 

 short, moderately stout, slightly bent (elbowed) near 

 middle; penis armed with a narrow row of fine, spine- 

 like cornuti. Vinculum stout, as broad or slightly 

 broader than long; terminal margin broad. 



Female genitalia with signa strongly developed, con- 

 sisting of a single large, round, curved, densely spined 

 plate and a scattering of detached spines (except in 

 dotella) opposite the plate; ductus bursae as long as or 

 somewhat shorter than length of bursa, finely scobinate 

 for two-thirds of its length from bursa; a narrow sclero- 

 tized plate in area above genital opening; ductus semi- 

 nalis from a lobed projection of bursa near its junction 

 with ductus bursae. 



The genus is apparently confined to North America. 

 The species perdubiella (Dyar) is referred here from 

 Zophodia. Another, dvlciella (Hidst), described in 

 Honora, must find placement elsewhere. The genitalia 

 of the imique female type (fig. 951) show that it is not 

 a Honora; but its proper generic placement will have 

 to wait upon discovery of a male. It is treated briefly 

 at the end of the paper (see p. 313). 



The species are very close and the genitahc differences 

 separating them, especially among the males, are 

 trifling. The female genitalia show more obvious varia- 

 tion in the amount of spining in the bursa, but this is a 

 character of doubtful value. Such differences as exist 

 are sho\vn in the several drawings. 



391. Honora mellinella Grote 



Figures 57, 445, 937 



Honora mellinella Grote, Bull. U. S. Geol. Geogp. Surv. Terr., 

 vol. 4, p. 702, 1890.— Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 188, 

 1890. — Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, p. 185, 

 1901.— McDunnough, Check list, No. 6343, 1930. 



Honora ochrimaculella Ragonot, N. Amer. Phycitidae, p. 12, 

 1887.— Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., pp. 188, 189, 1S90,— 

 Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, p. 185, 1901. 



Forewing dark grayish fuscous; costal area from 

 upper margin of cell whitish, in some specimens this 

 pale costal shading somewhat obscure, in most speci- 

 mens rather well contrasted against ground color; ante- 

 medial line nearly vertical, white, distinct and slightly 

 concave towards inner margin, bordered inwardly by 

 faint blackish shading and outwardly on inner margin 

 by a yellowish patch; a similar yellowish patch at base 

 of wing; subterminal white line, narrow, sinuate, ob- 

 scure and frequently obliterated; discal dots at end of 

 cell blackish, the upper in the pale costal area, the lower 

 in the dark area but normally with a faint, narrow, 

 whitish border. Hind wing very pale smoky fuscous, 

 with a silky sheen. Alar expanse, 16-24 mm. Male 

 genitalia with apex of harpe rounded; cucullus not 

 appreciably broadened toward apex. Female with a 

 rather dense cluster of spines in bursa opposite spined 

 plate. 



Type localities: Texas (mellinella, in BM); Cali- 

 fornia (ochrimaculella, in Paris Mus.). 



Food plant : Palajoxia. 



DiSTUiBVTiON : North Carolina, Southern Pines (Aug., 

 Sept.); Louisiana, Orange, Sabine Parish (June); 

 Florida, Lakeland (Jan.), Tampa; Texas, Blanco 

 County, Burnet County, Kerrville (Mar., July, Sept., 

 Oct.), New Braunfels (May), San Benito (Mar., Apr.); 

 New Mexico, Hot Springs (Sept.) ; Arizona, Palmerlee, 

 Phoenix (Oct.), Redington, Santa Rita Mts. (June, 

 July) ; California, Indian Wells (Jan.) ; Washington, 

 Pullman (June), Walla Walla (May, June, July), 

 Yakima (May). 



The food plant record given above is from a female 

 from Indian Wells, Calif., reared by Commander C. M. 

 Dammers. 



392. Honora subsciurella Ragonot 



Figures 447, 941 



Honora subsciurella Ragonot, N. Amer. Phycitidae, p. 12, 1887. — 

 Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 189, 1890. — Hampson, in 

 Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, p. 186, 1901. — McDunnough, 

 Check list, No. 6347, 1930. 



Doubtfully distinct from mellinella except, possibly, 

 as a local race. Distinguished chiefly by the paler 

 ground color of forewing beyond antemedial line, due 

 to a fine powdering of white scales; a broader diffusion 

 of the pale costal area (usually extended to include the 

 lower discal spot); the bluntly pointed apex of harpe 

 (fig. 447) ; and the sparser spining of the female bursa 

 (compare figs. 941 and 937). Alar expanse, 22-28 mm. 



Type locality: Colorado (type in Paris Mus.). 



Food plant: Unlcnown. 



Distribution: Colorado, Glenwood Springs (Sept.); 

 Utah, Eureka (June, July, Aug.), Stockton (July, Aug.), 

 Vineyard (July); California, San Bernardino Mts. 

 (Sept.). 



The "red" ground color of forewing is exaggerated by 

 Ragonot in his original description and in the figure 

 (pi. 31, fig. 12) in his Monograph. Hampson's de- 

 scription (in Ragonot) is more accurate. 



