AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



217 



Genera 124 and 125: Comotia and Bema 



[Venational division E. Forewing with veins 9 and 4 absent, 

 rarely (in some specimens of Bema) with a vestigial indication of 

 9 from 8 near apex. Hind wing with discocellular vein straight, 

 vertical or slanting. Male genitalia with hooked apical process 

 of gnathos small, bifid or partially fused; transtilla incomplete; 

 uncus slender.] 



124. Genus Comotia Dyar 



Comotia Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 343, 1914. 

 (Type of genus: Comotia torsicornis Dyar.) 



Antenna of male (fig. 478d) pubescent; basal segment 

 enlarged and elongate, flattened on inner side (not tri- 

 angular or armed with a spine as stated by Dyar) ; shaft 

 flattened, the first half-dozen segments enlarged and 

 excavated into a pocket (sinus) enclosing modified 

 scales and followed by a ridge of crests on the following 

 three or four segments ; female antenna simple. Tongue 

 well developed. Labial palpus upturned. Maxillary 

 palpus filiform. Forewing narrowly elongate, smooth; 

 nine veins; vein 2 from before angle; 3 and 5 shortly 

 stalked; 10 from cell, close to 8; male without costal 

 fold. Hind wing with vein 2 from well before lower 

 angle of cell; 3 and 5 from the angle and approximate 

 at base; 7 and 8 completely fused bej'ond cell (rarely 

 a vestige of 8 discernible as a short spur near apex); 

 discocellular vein straight and vertical ; cell very short, 

 less than one-fourth of wing length. Abdomen of male 

 with a pair of weak ventrolateral tufts from eighth 

 segment. 



Male genitalia of the Mescinia type, but with vincu- 

 lum shorter (but slightly longer than broad), apical 

 process of gnathos bifid, aedeagus constricted towards 

 apex. Female with signum a single projecting disk, 

 ductus bursae unsclerotized at genital opening, ductus 

 seminalis from bursa near its junction with ductus 

 bursae. 



434. Comotia torsicornis Dyar 

 FiGUHEs 117, 478 



Comotia torsicornis Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 343, 

 1914. 



Forewing sordid white, lightly dusted with fuscous; 

 costal area not appreciably paler; discal dots at end of 

 cell separate, dark fuscous; some dark fuscous dots 

 along termen. Hind wing translucent, smoky white 

 with veins and termen faiatly darkened. Alar expanse, 

 13 mm. 



Male genitalia with some fine scobinations on penis. 



Type locality: Porto Bello, Panamd (Mar., type in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Known only from the male type which is somewhat 

 rubbed. Fresh specimens would probably exhibit pat- 

 tern markings of a more distinctive type and contrasting 

 color. The female from Taboga Isl. which Dyar asso- 

 ciated with his type does not belong in Comotia. It is 

 a specimen of Bema myja. 



435. Comotia convergens (Dyar), new combination 

 Bema convergens Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 59, 1919. 



A trifle larger than torsicornis and with slightly longer 

 labial palpi (they reach to vertex in torsicornis and 

 slightly beyond in convergens), but otherwise similar. 

 The species is known only from the male type and one 

 other male from the type locality (not a female, as 

 stated by Dyar). These specimens are somewhat 

 rubbed, so no distinct wing pattern is discernible. The 

 exact status of convergens wiU have to wait upon more 

 and better material of both it and torsicornis. I doubt 

 that it is specifically distinct. Dyar's placement of it 

 in Bema was obviously a blunder. Alar expanse, 15 

 mm. 



Type locality: Cayuga, Guatemala (May, type in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Comotia sp. 

 FlOUBE 971 



The only female of the genus that I have seen is a 

 rubbed specimen in the Cornell Collection from Jajoma 

 Alta, Puerto Rico (collected by W. A. Hoffman, June 18, 

 1930). Enough of the scaling remains to indicate that 

 fresh specimens of Comotia wiU exhibit a rather well- 

 marked pattern with a sprinkling of rufous scales among 

 the fuscous scaling of the darker areas. The venation 

 of fore and hind wings is identical with that of the male. 

 I suspect that this specimen is a female of torsicornis, 

 but exact specific identification must wait upon receipt 

 of more material from Puerto Rico and Central America. 

 Alar expanse, 15 mm. 



125. Genus Bema Dyar 



Bema Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 356, 1914. (Typo 



of genus: Bema myja Dyar.) 

 Relmis Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 336, 1914. (Type 



of genus: Relmis ydda Dyar. New synonymy.) 



Antenna of male pubescent, with basal segment en- 

 larged, triangular, and with shaft projecting from one 

 corner (fig. 479e); shaft slightly swollen towards base, 

 otherwise simple. Antenna of female simple. Male 

 head (fig. 479d) hollowed between antermae and with a 

 strongly sclcrotized, hollowed tubercle projecting up- 

 ward from front and bearing a ring of modified scales; 

 these structures absent from female. Labial palpus 

 upturned. Maxillary palpus filiform. Forewing nar- 

 rowly elongate, smooth; normally with nine veins (in 

 some specimens, see figs. 119 and 120, a vestige of vein 

 9 present) ; vein 10 from the cell closely approximate to 

 8; 2 from before lower angle of cell; 3 and 5 separate; 

 male with costal fold. Hind wing with 2 from well be- 

 fore lower angle of ceU; 3 and 5 from the angle and ap- 

 proximate at base; 7 and 8 completely fused beyond cell 

 (rarely with a vestige of vein 8 near terminal end of 7); 

 discocellular vein straight and slanting inward from 

 lower angle; cell short, less than one-third the wing 



