278 



UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 207 



Genera 170-177: Ephestiodes to Moodnella 



[Venational division C. Forewing with 10 veins; 8 and 9 united 

 (except in aberrant individuals) ; male with costal fold. Labial 

 palpi oblique. Male abdomen with compound dorsal tufts on 

 eighth segment or simple. Transtilla complete or incomplete; 

 if complete, an angulate bridge; if incomplete, its elements well 

 developed. Ductus bursae sclerotized for at least part of its 

 length from genital opening and with projecting sclerotized shield 

 behind genital opening.] 



170. Genus Ephestiodes Ragonot 



Ephestiodes Ragonot, N. Amer. Phycitidae, p. 16, 1887; Mono- 

 graph, pt. 2, pp. xiii, 264, 1901. — Hulst, Phycitidae of N. 

 Amer., p. 194, 1890. — Forbes, Cornell Mem. 68, p. 635, 1923. 

 (Type of genus: Ephestiodes gilvescentella Ragonot.) 



Tongue well developed. Antenna simple, pubescent. 

 Labial palpus oblique, reaching to vertex, somewhat 

 rough scaled; segment 3 about as long as 2. MaxUlary 

 palpus filiform. Forewing smooth; 10 veins; vein 2 

 from very near to lower outer angle of cell; 3 from the 

 angle; 4 and 5 stalked, the stalk approximate to or con- 

 nate with 3 at base; 6 from below upper angle of cell, 

 straight or very slightly curved; 8 and 9 united (9 ab- 

 sent); 10 from the cell, separated from 8; male with a 

 short costal fold. Hind wing with vein 2 from before 

 (but near) lower outer angle of cell; 3 and 5 long stalked; 

 7 and 8 anastomosed almost to costa (8 a mere vestige) ; 

 cell about half the length of wing; discocellular vein 

 curved. Eighth abdominal segment of male with com- 

 pound dorsal scale tufts (except in noniella) . 



Male genitalia with apical projection of gnathos 

 forked, U- or V-shaped. Uncus broad and with apical 

 margin broadly rounded. TranstUla incomplete (ex- 

 cept in stictella and noniella) but with the elements 

 strongly developed, their apices approximate and broad- 

 ly flared. Harpe normally (except in lucidibasella, 

 stictella, and noniella) with a transverse sclerotized ridge 

 across base of cucullus; costa strongly sclerotized but 

 not produced. AneUus a narrow, semicircular band 

 with flanged base. Aedeagus straight, moderately long; 

 penis armed (except in noniella) with a weak, thin, flat 

 bladelike cornutus or a pair of similar cornuti. Vincu- 

 lum stout, triangulate. 



Female genitalia with signum developed as a short 

 comb of from two to six blunt, short, thornlike teeth, or 

 as a flat plate with a row of such teeth along one edge 

 (plorella); bursa copulatrix otherwise simple except for 

 a few weak scobinations surroundrug signum or at 

 jimction of ductus bursae. Ductus biu-sae longer than 

 bursa (except in stictella), sclerotized, gi-anulate and 

 flattened for at least half (normally for most) of its 

 length from genital opening, with a produced, strongly 

 sclerotized shield behind genital opening and usually 

 with a sclerotized band or shield below the opening; 

 ductus seminalis from bursa close to signum. 



The North American species of the genus form a com- 

 pact group agreeing on aU structural characters. In 

 tropical America, however, there is considerable varia- 

 tion from type and two of the species {stictella and 

 noniella) are distinctly aberrant on male characters. 



Eventually it may be possible to give them separate 

 generic designations, but at present there are no charac- 

 ters to be found (apart from male genitalia) to permit 

 such separation. The species divide into three groups 

 as follows: 



Transtilla incomplete, but strongly developed, with apices 

 flared and approximate. Harpe normally with a trans- 

 verse sclerotized ridge at base of cucullus. Eighth ab- 

 dominal segment of male with tufts. (Comprising all 

 the typical Ephestiodes.) 



Transtilla complete, with greatly produced, asymmetrical, 

 caudal projections. Harpe with apex of sacculus pro- 

 duced into a free arm. Eighth abdominal segment of 

 male with tufts. (Tropical only.) 



Transtilla complete, a narrow band with central loop. 

 Harpe simple. Eighth abdominal segment of male 

 simple. (Tropical only.) 



While adult specimens seem to be abundant and are 

 often taken in numbers, little if anything is known of 

 life histories within the genus and none of the species 

 has, so far, proven to be of any economic importance. 

 Most of the species are similar in color and maculation, 

 but each shows some distinguishing difference in male 

 genitalia. These are not easy to describe, but can be 

 seen readily enough in the drawings. The female geni- 

 talia of the North American species are remarkably 

 uniform in general structure, exhibiting more variation 

 within than between species. In aU of them the dorsal 

 sclerotized area of the eighth-segment collar is reduced 

 to a narrow band, the sclerotized shield behind genital 

 opening has a central angulate projection from its pos- 

 terior margin, and the sclerotized band below the open- 

 ing is narrow. 



Genus Ephestiodes, Species 572-580: E. gilves- 

 centella to E. plorella 



[Transtilla incomplete but strongly developed, with apices flared 

 and approximate. Harpe normally with a transverse sclerotized 

 ridge at base of cucullus. Eighth abdominal segment of male 

 with tufts.] 



572. Ephestiodes gilvescentella Ragonot 

 FiGirRBS 108, 689, 1072, 1073 



Ephestiodes gilvescentella Ragonot, N. Amer. Phycitidae, p. 16, 

 1887; (Ragonot and Hampson), Monograph, pt. 2, p. 264, 

 1901.— Hulst, Phycitidae of N. Amer., p. 194, 1890.— 

 McDunnough, Check list. No. 6379, 1939. 



Ephestiodes nigrella Hulst, Journ. New York Ent. Soc, vol. 8, 

 p. 224, 1900. — Donohoe and Barnes, Journ. Econ. Ent., 

 vol. 27, p. 1071, 1934.— McDunnough, Check list. No. 6382, 

 1939. (New synonymy.) 



Forewing pale gray, the median area (between the 

 transverse lines) dark gray; antemedial line outwardly 

 angled at middle and with a very sUght notch at lower 

 fold, white with a narrow blackish outer border; sub- 

 terminal line fainter, slightly sinuate and parallel with 

 termen, whitish with a narrow blackish inner border; 

 discal dots at end of ceU, separate, distinct, blackish; 

 terminal dots obsciu-e, more or less confluent. Hind 

 wing white to pale smoky fuscous; the veins but faintly 

 darkened. Alar expanse, 12-16 mm. 



