AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



233 



area and a faint lilac tint due to sparsely scattered, 

 reddish brown scales; antemedial line very faintly in- 

 dicated, straight, slanting inwardly from costa, and 

 bordered outwardly in cell by a blackish blotch, this 

 black marking not continued to costa; at outer end of 

 cell a similar conspicuous, large, round black spot; a 

 faint dark streak on midcosta; subterminal line faint, 

 sinuous, bordered outwardly and inwardly by blackish 

 bands, the latter rather broad and well defined from 

 costa but fading out toward inner margin; a few irregu- 

 lar black dots on termen between the veins; cilia 

 slightly paler than ground color of the wing. Hind 

 wing very pale smoky fuscous, translucent and almost 

 white towards base, somewhat darker in the female; 

 terminal margins dark; cilia slightly paler than wing. 

 Alar expanse, 11-12 mm. 



Male genitalia with gnathos terminating in a broad 

 heart-shaped process composed of two partially cleft, 

 partially fused lobes ending in a single, slender posterior 

 horn; vinculum rather long and broad; penis without 

 cornuti. 



Female genitalia with ductus bursae strongly and 

 broadly sclerotized on ventral side toward genital open- 

 ing; bursa copulatrix minutely scobinate; signum 

 similar to that of coccidivora, but smaller. 



Type locality: Concordia, Entre Rfos, Argentina 

 (type inBM). 



Food : Tachardiella argentina. 



As yet known only from the type locality. 



The fom- specimens examined had been reared (Nov. 

 1936) and were submitted by K. J. Hayward, and pre- 

 sumably formed part of the original series from which 

 the type and paratypes were selected. 



This species is a somewhat anomalous Laetilia. The 

 very short tongue, short and acuminate third segment 

 of labial palpus, and definitely filiform maxillary palpus 

 suggest other generic placement; but the genitalia show 

 that it is closely allied to typical Laetilia. It certainly 

 does not belong in Euzophera where it was originally 

 placed. The two conspicuous black spots on the cell 

 of forewing will identify it specifically, and distinguish 

 it from other described species of the genus with the 

 possible exception of amphimetra. 



480. Laetilia amphimetra (Meyrick), new combination 



Euzopkera amphimetra Meyrick, Trans. Ent. Soo. London, vol. 

 89, pt. 4, p. 47, 1939. 



This species is known to me only from the description. 

 In the National Collection there are five badly rubbed 

 specimens (one cT and four 9) reared from larvae 

 feeding on a Ceroplastes sp. at Valemar, Chile, by 

 P. A. Barry ("9-21-40") which might be amphimetra. 

 What is left of the pattern matches well enough with 

 Meyrick's description. The markings are similar to 

 those of melanostathma and the male genitalia are 

 identical, except that the vinculum is shorter in the 

 Chilean specimen. It and its accompanying females, 

 however, are appreciably darker than typical examples 

 of melanostathma. If the Chilean specimens are 



amphimetra, the latter is probably no more than a color 

 variety of melanostathma. 



Type locality: Concordia, Entre Rios, Argentina 

 (type in BM). 



Food: Ceroplastes sp. on guava. 



481. Laetilia zamacrella Dyar 

 Figures 508, 1004 



Laetilia zamacrella Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 13, p. 12, 

 1925.— McDunnough, Check list. No. 6327, 1939. 



Palpi, face, head, thorax, and forewing grayish 

 fuscous rather evenly dusted with white (the head 

 densely so) making the general color to the naked eye a 

 pale slate gray. Forewing blackish at base for a very 

 short distance; antemedial line nearly vertical, slightly 

 indented at fold, white, bordered within and without by 

 blackish brown, outer dark border appreciably broad- 

 ened at top of cell; a conspicuous blackish discal spot 

 at outer margin of cell; subterminal line sinuate (out- 

 wardly angled between veins 1 and 5), white, narrowly 

 bordered inwardly and outwardly by blackish fuscous; 

 along termen a row of more or less fused blackish spots; 

 cilia ashy gray. Hind wing semihj^aline with a pale 

 fuscous shade bordering costa and a fine fuscous line 

 along termen from apex to vein lb; veins slightly darker 

 than wing membrane; cilia white. Alar expanse, 24-25 

 mm. 



Male genitalia with apical process of gnathos par- 

 tially fused, large, the lobes broadly flaring, the posterior 

 projections stubby and close together; penis with 

 several long sclerotized folds but without cornuti. 

 Female genitalia with a pair of strongly sclerotized 

 dorsal plates in ductus bursae at genital opening; 

 ventral plate at opening large; signum a small flanged 

 plate ; bursa copulatrix smooth except for a few minute 

 scobinations surrounding signum. 



Type locality: Mount Wilson, Calif, (type in 

 USNM). 



Food: Scales on pine. 



Distribution: California, Mount Wilson (July), 

 Mount Hamilton (Apr., May). 



The seven Mount Hamilton specimens were reared 

 by H. E. Burke, under Hopkins No. 19013d, from 

 larvae feeding on an unidentified scale on Pinus radiata. 

 The moth superficially resembles Dioryctria ahietella 

 and might easily be mistaken for a Dioryctria species 

 except for its reduced hind wing venation and the 

 black rather than white discal spot on forewing. Its 

 genitalia, except for their squat appearance, resemble 

 those of Zophodia and Cactohrosis and show the close 

 aflinity of Laetilia to the cactus-feeding phycitine 

 genera. 



482. Laetilia myereella Dyar 



Figures 509, 1003 



Laetilia myersella Dyar, Proc. Ent. See. Washington, vol. 12, 

 p. 54, 1610.— Forbes, Cornell Mem. 68, p. 632, 1920.— 

 McDunnough, Check list, No. 6330, 1939. 



Palpi, face, head, and thorax brownish fuscous sparse- 

 ly dusted with white, the white dusting most conspic- 



