248 



msriTED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 207 



This genus and the following (Rumatha) are dis- 

 tinguished from all others in the cactus-feeding group 

 by the complete fusion of the apical process of the 

 gnathos. Several male characters distinguish the two 

 genera from each other, but Cahela is most easUy recog- 

 nized by the black longitudinal lines between the veins 

 on the forewing. 



The genus is apparently limited in distribution to the 

 southwestern part of the United States and northern 

 Mexico. 



512. Cahela ponderoaella (Barnes and McDunnough) 

 FiGUEEs 539, 1027 



Olyca ponderosella Barnes and McDunnough, Contributions, vol. 

 4, No. 2, p. 175, 1918. 



Zophodia pwgatoria Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 13, p. 222, 1925. 



Cactobrosis intersiitialis Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 13, p. 223, 

 1925; Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, p. 136, 1928. 



Cactobrosis phoenieis Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 13, p. 223, 

 1925; Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, p. 136, 1938. 



Cactobrosis (?) ponderosella (Barnes and McDunnough) Dyar, 

 Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 30, p. 136, 1928.— Mc- 

 Dunnough, Check list, No. 6284, 1939. 



Cahela ponderosella (Barnes and McDunnough) Heinrich, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, p. 361, 1939. 



Head, thorax, forewings, and body dark fuscous-gray 

 peppered with white and with pronounced, longitudinal, 

 black lines on the forewing; a long black line through 

 the ceU and extending from near base of wing to termen; 

 another long black line from base to tornus running 

 parallel and very close to the fold; in outer area, from 

 beyond ceU to apex and termen, five other shorter black 

 lines, the largest and most pronoimced above vein 6; 

 all the black lines between and not on the veins; ante- 

 medial and subterminal lines normally obsolete; in very 

 few specimens a faint indication of a partial, black, 

 antemedial line and in several specimens a dark shade 

 from end of cell to middle of inner margin, but no 

 trace of any transverse subterminal line; body some- 

 what paler than forewing or thorax. Hind wing white, 

 semihyaline, termen for a short distance from costa very 

 faintly and narrowly edged with fuscous; a more pro- 

 noimced fuscous shading along termen on the female. 

 Alar expanse, 30-42 mm. 



Male genitaha show some variation in the shape and 

 size of the terminal process of the gnathos in different 

 specimens from any given locality. The extremes of 

 variation are shown in the figm-e. In the female geni- 

 talia the size of the signum and bursa varies somewhat 

 in different specimens but the variations are slight and 

 can be found in any series from one locality. 



Type localities: Palm Springs, Calif, (ponderosella 

 and phoenieis, in USNM); Colorado Desert, Yuma 

 County, Ariz, (purgatoria, in USNM); Presidio, Tex. 

 (inter stitialis, in USNM). 



Food plant: Opuntia (Cylindropuntia) imbricata 

 (Ha worth) and probably other Cylindropuntias. 



Distribution: Calijornia, Palm Springs (Apr., Aug.), 

 San Bernardino (Apr., May) ; Utah, St. George (May, 

 June) ; Nevada, Charlestown Mts. (July), Clark County 

 (Apr., May, June); Arizona, Yuma County, Mohave 



County (Apr., May), Dewey (June), "en route from 

 Dewey to Salome" (Apr.), Maricopa County (July), 

 Prescott (Apr., June), Kedington, Baboquivari Mts. 

 (Pima County, May, July, Aug.), Phoenix (May), 

 Tucson (June), Douglas (May), Christmas (Gila 

 County), Paradise (Cochise County, June); Texas, 

 Brewster County, Alpine (Apr.), Presidio. 



Dodd states that the range of the species includes 

 the central plateau of Mexico, which is what we should 

 expect. I have seen no specimens from Mexico. 



The species is remarkably uniform in color and mark- 

 ing but varies considerably in size, which accounts for 

 some of the synonymy. Superficially ponderosella is 

 similar to both Eremherga leuconips (Dyar) and Cacto- 

 brosis strigalis (Barnes and McDunnough). They also 

 are dark gray with conspicuous black longitudinal lines 

 on their forewings, but in leuconips and strigalis the 

 black lines are on the veins, while in ponderosella they 

 lie between the veins. This character at once dis- 

 tinguishes it from other known cactus-feeding phycitids. 



142. Genus Rumatha Heinrich 



Rumatha Heinrich, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, p. 363, 1939. 

 (Type of genus: Zophodia bihinda Dyar.) 



Tongue more or less developed (very short in glauca- 

 tella, but not hidden by palpi). Antenna of male 

 shortly serrate and pubescent, of the female simple and 

 pubescent, the pubescence shorter in the female than in 

 the male. Labial palpi porrect in both sexes; third 

 segment of palpus about half as long as second. Max- 

 illary palpus squamous. Hind wing with veins 7 and 8 

 anastomosing beyond cell; 3 and 5 stalked. Eighth 

 abdominal segment of male simple. 



Male genitaha with apical process of gnathos fused; 

 harpe with apex evenly rounded and with a subbasal 

 sclerotized pocket (pkt., fig. 540) between sacculus and 

 costa; uncus truncate and short in proportion to its 

 breadth; vinculum short, truncate, almost square in 

 outhne; aneUus with base rather broadly sclerotized, 

 arms short, broad, slightly twisted; aedeagus very short, 

 stout, partially sclerotized (on ventral half only). The 

 entire genitalia have a squat appearance that is charac- 

 teristic. 



Female genitalia with signum developed as a ridged 

 plate with inwardly projecting ridge bluntly serrate 

 (except in glaitcatella, in which the signum is as in 

 Cahela ponderosella) ; bursa copulatrix large, finely 

 scobinate, especially in neighborhood of signum; ductus 

 bursae scobinate at genital opening and with a pair of 

 more or less defined sclerotized plates on the dorsal 

 membrane of the ductus at the opening; ductus semi- 

 nalis from bursa near signum (but somewhat farther 

 removed than in Cahela). 



Larva of only one species (glaucatella) known; whit- 

 ish, not banded or conspicuously spotted; soUtary in 

 habit; stem borer in Cylindropuntia. 



Eggs laid singly. 



This genus is very close to Cahela. Both genera have 

 similar larvae and host associations and a like structure 



