AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



281 



578. Ephestiodes productella Ragonot 

 Figure 1078 



Ephestiodes productella Ragonot, Nouv. Gen., p. 36, 1888; Mono- 

 graph, pt. 2, pp. 264, 265, 1901. 



This species is known only from the female type in 

 Paris. According to Clarke's note it answers very well 

 to Ragonot's description but not to his figure in the 

 Monograph (pi. 35, fig. 1). 



The genitalia are characteristic and should easily 

 identify the species when other females are discovered. 

 The shield behind genital opening has an angulate pro- 

 jection from posterior margin as in North American 

 species, but is appreciably larger and the sclerotized 

 band below genital opening is much stouter and broader. 

 Alar expanse, 15 mm. 



Type locality: Given by Ragonot as "Am. M^r." 

 in original description, and as Chiriqui, Colombia, in 

 Monograph (type in Paris Mus.). Nothing on type to 

 indicate the exact locality, but imdoubtedly from 

 tropical America. 



Food plant: Unknown. 



579. Ephestiodes indentella Dyar 



Figure 1076 



Ephestiodes indentella Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 3, p. 89, 1915. 



Forewing pale gray, the median area shading with 

 blackish scaling; the transverse lines widely spaced on 

 costa, strongly contrasted (especially the antemedial), 

 white; antemedial line decidedly obhque, notched at 

 lower fold and with a black outer border; sub terminal 

 indented at vein 6 and slightly at lower fold, and with 

 a narrow black inner border; discal dots separate; ter- 

 minal dots confluent, not extending to either costa or 

 tornus. Hind wong pale smoky fuscous; veins and 

 terminal margin but slightly darkened. AJar expanse, 

 12.5-17 mm. 



Female genitalia with a wide, deep notch in posterior 

 margin of shield behind genital opening; sclerotized 

 band below genital opening narrow, sinuous ; eighth-seg- 

 ment collar broadly and deeply sclerotized on dorsum, 

 its anterior margin produced and rounded. 



Male unknown. 



Type locality: Bermuda (type in USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



Known only from Bermuda. In addition to the type 

 series (Apr.) I have before me 6 females from the 

 British Museum (Mar., Apr.). The species is readily 

 identified by its genitalia. It and plorella are tenta- 

 tively assigned to the first Ephestiodes species group, 

 but accurate placement of them wiU have to wait upon 

 discovery of males. 



580. Ephestiodes plorella Dyar 



Figures 109, 1080 



Ephestiodes plorella Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 344, 



1914. 

 Eurythmia vestilla Dyar, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 47, p. 339, 



1914 (new synonymy). 



Forewing rather pale brownish gray, uniformly 



300329 — 56 19 



colored except for a somewhat paler basal area and a 

 rather broad brownish outer band along the antemedial 

 line ; antemedial band but slightly oblique ; subterminal 

 line obscm-e, whitish with only faint trace of a dark 

 inner border; discal dots obscure, when distinguishable, 

 more or less confluent; terminal dots faint, confluent. 

 Hind wing whitish, some of the veins and terminal area 

 very faintly darkened. Alar expanse, 11-14 mm. 



Female genitalia with signum developed as a flat plate 

 with serrate edge, the ductus seminaUs arising from a 

 hole in the plate; bursa with a few scobinations at junc- 

 tion with ductus bursae; ductus bursae sclerotized for 

 only half its length; no sclerotized band below genital 

 opening; posterior marghi of large sclerotized shield 

 behind genital opening evenly rounded except for a very 

 slight narrow central notch; collar of eighth segment 

 narrow but deeply sclerotized on dorsum, its produced 

 anterior margin concave and with a small shaUow central 

 notch. 



Male unknown. 



Type locality: Corazal, Canal Zone, Panamfi 

 (plorella and vestilla, in USNM). 



Food plant: Unknown. 



A rather suffused, poorly marked species without much 

 to distinguish it superficially from faded examples of our 

 North American gilvescentella or infimella. The female 

 genitalia, however, are markedly different from those of 

 any other species in the genus. The absence of a sclero- 

 tized band below genital opening, the shapes of the dor- 

 sal genital plate and eighth-segment collar, and the pe- 

 culiar signum at once distinguish them. The venation 

 also differs in that vein 3 of forewing is very closely ap- 

 proximate to, connate, or short stalked with 4-5, and 

 the latter are very long stalked. Dyar's vestilla was 

 placed by him in Eurythmia on the belief that veins 4 

 and 5 of forewing were united as they appear to be on 

 superficial examination; but denuded wings (fig. 109) 

 show them long stalked. The female genitalia of his 

 type of vesteUa are identical with those of his plorella. 



Genus Ephestiodes, Species 581: E. stictella 



[Transtilla complete, with greatly produced, asymmetrical, 

 caudal projections. Harpe with apex of sacculus produced into 

 a free arm. Eighth abdominal segment of male with tufts.] 



581. Ephestiodes stictella (Hampson), new combination 

 Figure 596, 1082 



Unadilla stictella Hampson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 7, 



p. 255, 1901. 

 Ephestiodes uniformella Hampson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 



vol. 7, p. 256, 1901 (new synonymy). 

 Ephestiodes granulella Hampson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, vol. 



7, p. 256, 1901 (new synonymy). 



The type of stictella is a female. A photograph of its 

 genitalia definitely fixes the species to what I here iden- 

 tify in long series from the Cornell Collection from Puerto 

 Rico and St. CroLx. The type of uniformella is a male 

 without abdomen and according to Clarke a stained spec- 

 imen. A photograph shows it to be a dark specimen but 

 no darker than many examples of the St. Croix series. 



