242 



UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 207 



The genus is close to Melitara, distinguished from it 

 only by the following characters: Labial palpi obliquely 

 ascending; larvae transversely banded and solitary in 

 habit during most of the feeding period. 



Three species and one local race are here recognized. 

 They are remarkably alike in structure, the genitalia 

 exhibiting difference of orJy an individual character. 

 The species, however, can be distinguished by color 

 differences which seem to be constant. 



t^ 498. Olycella jonctolineella (Hulst) 



Figures 75, 529, 1018 



Melitara junctolineella Hulst, Canadian Ent., vol. 32, p. 173, 1900; 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 52, p. 429, 1903.— Hunter, Pratt, and 

 MitcheU, U. S. Dep. Agr. Bur. Ent. Bull. 113, p. 25, 1912.— 

 Barnes and McDunnough, Contributions, vol. 3, p. 199, 

 1916. — Dodd, Council for Sci. and Ind. Res., Australia, 

 Bull. 34, p. 27, 1927. 



Olyca junctolineella (Hulst) Barnes and McDunnough, Check list 

 of the Lepidoptera of Boreal America, No. 5695, 1917. 



Olycella junctolineella (Hulst) Dyar, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 

 vol. 30, p. 134, 1928.— Heinrich, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 vol. 86, p. 344, 1939.— McDunnough, Check list. No. 6281, 

 1939. — Dodd, Biological campaign against prickly-pear, 

 Brisbane, Australia, pp. 39, 59, 81, 1940. 



Head, thorax, and forewing ocherous fuscous dusted 

 with white and marked with patches and lines of black 

 scales. Labial palpus with the apical ends of the seg- 

 ments blackish. Maxillary palpus crossbanded with 

 black scales. Thorax with some black dusting on 

 posterior margin. Forewing with whitish dusting 

 slightly intensified in costal area; veins faintly outlined 

 in black; a row of more or less obscure black dots on 

 termen between the vein ends; antemedial line inter- 

 rupted, sometimes obscure, in fresh, weU-marked speci- 

 mens its outer dentation much extended and meeting a 

 shade from the inner angulation of the subterminal line 

 at the fold (which indicates the normal position of the 

 absent vein Ic); subterminal line interrupted, strongly 

 indicated only between veins 5 and the fold and for a 

 short distance from inner margin; black discal dots at 

 end of cell more or less fused and pronounced; cilia 

 ocherous fuscous. Hind wing pm-e white in male; in 

 female generally suffused with fuscous. Alar expanse, 

 38-55 mm. 



The genitalia presenting no outstanding specific 

 characters. 



Ttpe locality: Texas (type in AMNH, ex Eutgers). 



Food plants: Opuntia (Platypuntia) spp. 



Distribution: Texas, Brownsville (Apr., June, July, 

 Aug.), Corpus Christi (Sept., Oct.), Burnet Coimty, 

 San Benito (Mar., Aug., Sept.), Shovel Mountain 

 (May), Kerrville (Apr.), Victoria (Oct., Nov.), Laredo 

 (Sept.). 



This species is most readily distinguished from the 

 others in the genus by its ocherous fuscous color, which 

 seems to be constant. It is remarkably so in the 

 specimens before me. 0. nephelepasa and suhumhrella 

 are decidely gray in appearance. 



Rather full notes on the life history and larval habits 

 of junctolineella are given by Dodd and by Hunter, 

 Mitchell, and Pratt. The latter also give descriptions 

 of the larva and pupa. 



The species has two generations a year. 



499. Olycella junctolineella pectinatella (Hampson) 

 FiGTJBE 530 



Olyca ■pectinatella Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, p. 35, 



1901. 

 Olyca junctolineella (Hulst) Barnes and McDunnough, Check list 



of the Lepidoptera of Boreal America, No. 5695, 1917 (in 



part). 

 Olycella junctolineella (Hulst) Dyar, Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 



vol. 30, p. 134, 1928 (in part). 

 Olycella junctolineella pectinatella (Hampson) Heinrich, Proc. 



U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, p. 345, 1939. 



Kjiown only from two males from the type locality. 



These two specimens are a trifle paler than normal 

 junctolineella and are less clearly marked except for the 

 pronounced discal spots. The transverse lines on the 

 forewing are almost obsolete and the veins very slightly 

 indicated by dark shading. 



Inasmuch as we have no larvae or females, or any 

 information on the life history of the form from Jalapa 

 (which is far south of the known range of typical 

 junctolineella), I do not think we are justified in treating 

 it as a mere synonym; or, on the evidence before us, 

 as a distinct species. 



Type locality: Jalapa, State of Veracruz, M6xico 

 (type in USNM). 



Food plant: Opuntia (Platypuntia) spp. 



500. Olycella nephelepasa (Dyar) 



Olyca nephelepasa Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 7, p. 55, 1919. 

 Olycella nephelepasa (Dyar), Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, 



p. 134, 1928.— Heinrich, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, p. 



346, 1939. 



Similar in pattern and general appearance to junc- 

 tolineella, but darker. The forewing is grayish fuscous 

 with a slight brownish tint, but decidedly more grayish 

 brown than ocherous fuscous. Also the hind tibiae of 

 nephelepasa are heavily dusted with fuscous, while those 

 of junctolineella are nearly pure white. Alar expanse, 

 42-52 mm. 



The genitalia cannot be distinguished from those of 

 junctolineella. 



Type locality: Tehuacdn, Mexico (type in USNM), 



Food plants: Opuntia (Platypuntia) spp. 



Distkibution: M:fixico: Tehuacdn (Sept.), Mexico 

 (city), Cuemavaca, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi 

 (June) . 



The known distribution of this species is confined to 

 the central plateau of Mexico. In the National Col- 

 lection there is one female (determined as nephelepasa) 

 from Monclova, Mexico. This specimen is colored hke 

 typical suhumhrella and is, I think, only a southern 

 example of that species. 



0. nephelepasa has two generations a year. 



