AMEBICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



269 



extreme base black; remainder of basal area and area 

 between cell and costa and to the subterminal line 

 white lightly dusted with black; antemedial line obso- 

 lete, indicated only by a large black spot on costa 

 (corresponding to the black shade outwardly bordering 

 the white antemedial line in the North American 

 species of Ozamia); subterminal line whitish, dentate, 

 bordered inwardly and outwardly by black; a short, 

 dentate, black line from vein 8 to vein 2, midway 

 between the end of cell and the subterminal line and 

 parallel with the latter; a black curved mark at end of 

 cell; a row of black dots along termen at or near the 

 vein ends; a faint whitish color dusted with black in 

 apical area. Hind wing white, semihyaline, with a 

 fuscous shade at apex and for a short distance along 

 termen ; cilia whitish with a very faint fuscous subbasal 

 line. Alar expanse, 26 mm. 



Female genitalia with signum a small buttonlike 

 thorn; bursa copula trix wrinkled and finely scobinate; 

 ductus bursae long, coarsely scobinate toward bursa. 



Type locality: Catamarca, Argentina (type in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Cereus validus Haworth. 



This species is known only from the female type, 

 reared Mar. 7, 1921, by W. B. Alexander from a larva 

 that had excavated a hollow in a stem of Cereus validus. 



0. stigmajerella and the two following species {hemilu- 

 tella and punicans) are the South American repre- 

 sentatives of the genus and diflfer from those from the 

 United States, Mexico, and the West Indies in having 

 the ductus bursae of the female coarsely scobinate and 

 the bursa copuJatrix decidedly wrinkled. 



537. Ozamia hemilutella Dyar 

 Figures 560, 1041 



Ozamia hemilutella Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 10, p. 17, 

 1922.— Heinrich, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, p. 392, 

 1939. 



Palpi, head, and thorax brownish fuscous, finely and 

 evenly sprinkled with white, making the general color 

 (to the naked eye) pale gray; collar of thorax with a 

 slight yellowish tint. Forewing with area between 

 lower vein of cell, vein 2, and inner margin pale yellow 

 without any markings; remainder of wing pale gray, 

 concolorous with head and thorax; antemedial line 

 obsolete; from costa just before middle to middle of 

 lower vein of cell, a rather broad, transverse, brownish 

 shade ; a brown discal dot at end of cell and some brown 

 shading just beyond; subterminal line faint, weakly 

 dentate, parallel with termen, bordered inwardly and 

 outwardly by thin faintly brownish lines; a row of 

 minute black dots along termen at the vein ends; cilia 

 pale gray. Hind wing white, semihyaline with a thin 

 fuscous line along termen and some fuscous shading 

 bordering the costa. Abdomen with one pair of strong 

 tufts. Alar expanse, 27-30 mm. 



Male genitalia with apical process of gnathos small; 

 end of vinculum bluntly angulate. Female genitalia 

 with signum a single, weak, irregular, thornlike patch; 



bursa copulatrix wrinkled and finely scobinate; ductus 

 bursae coarsely scobinate toward bursa. 



Type locality: La Kioja, Argentina (tjrpe in 

 USNM). 



Food plant: Cereus validus Haworth. 



Distribution: Argentina: La Rioja, Santiago del 

 Estro. 



The moth is easily identified by the clear yellow inner 

 area of the forewing. The larvae feed in the fruits and 

 flower buds and, possibly, to some extent, in the stems 

 of Cereus. Dodd states that they also attack fruits of 

 Platypimtias. 



538. Ozamia punicans Heinrich 

 Figures 558, 1037 



Ozamia punicans Heinrich, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, p. 393, 

 1939. 



Palpi fuscous sprinkled with white. Head and thorax 

 fuscous heavily dusted with white and more or less 

 shaded with pale rust color, especially on top of head 

 and on collar of thorax. Forewing pale gray (fuscous 

 heavily dusted with white) marked with darker gray 

 and with large blotches of pale rust color; the rust shade 

 filling about one-fourth of the basal area and nearly all 

 the area between antemedial and subterminal lines, 

 lower vein of cell, vein 2, and vein lb; antemedial line 

 obscure, indicated chiefly by a rather broad dark gray 

 shade from costa to lower vein of cell and a thin dark 

 gray line thence to inner margin; subterminal line faint, 

 somewhat sinuate but not dentate, approximately paral- 

 lel with termen, bordered inwardly and outwardly by 

 obscure dark gray; apical mark at end of cell irregular, 

 dark gray; between ceU and subterminal line some faint 

 rust shading in the interspaces between the veins ; a row 

 of black dots along termen between the vein ends ; cilia 

 pale rust red. Hind wing white, semihyaline, with a 

 fuscous shade in costal area to top of cell and vein 8, 

 some fuscous shading on the vein ends, and a fine fuscous 

 line along termen to vein lb ; cilia shiny white. Abdom- 

 inal tufts as in hemilutella. Alar expanse, 36-40 mm. 



Male genitalia with apical process of gnathos moder- 

 ately large; apex of harpe more roimded than in other 

 species of Ozamia; end of vinculum more rounded than 

 angulate and lateral margins excavate; penis bearing a 

 number of coarse spines. Female genitalia larger than 

 those of any other Ozamia; with signum a small granu- 

 lose plate containing a stubby central thorn; bursa 

 copulatrix wrinkled and finely scobinate; ductus bursae 

 long, very coarsely scobinate toward bursa. 



Type locality: Tapia, Tucumdn, Argentina (type 

 in USNM). 



Food plant: Cereus validus Haworth. 



According to Dodd, punicans differs from other 

 species of Ozamia in that it is a stem borer and appar- 

 ently does not attack the fruits or flower buds. It 

 differs also in that the apex of the harpe is not definitely 

 oblique, and the maxillary palpi are somewhat narrowly 

 scaled. However, the latter are of the squamous 

 rather than the filiform type, and from its general 

 habitus the species is obviously closely related to 



