AMERICAN MOTHS OF THE SUBFAMILY PHYCITINAE 



295 



to antemedial line black; antemedial line indicated by 

 two black spots, one above the other, on median and 

 lower folds, rarely with additional black dots above and 

 below them; subterminal line indicated by an obhque 

 series of black spots on the veins; discal spot on lower 

 outer angle of cell conspicuous, black, the discal spot 

 on upper angle of cell more or less obsolescent. Hind 

 wings translucent, shining white; a fine brown line 

 along termen; veins faintly, if at aU, darkened. Alar 

 expanse, 15-23 mm. 



Male genitalia distinguished chiefly by the shapes of 

 transtilla (fig. 616b) and apical process of gnathos 

 (fig. 616a). Female genitalia with signum. 



Type locality: Utah (type in Paris Mus.). 



Food plants: Yucca, Nolina. 



Distribution: United States: Utah, Eureka (June), 

 Penah (Feb.); Colorado, Grand Junction (July); Cali- 

 Jomia, Loma Linda (Mar.), Los Angeles County (June, 

 July, Sept.), Mohave (May), Morongo (Apr.), Phelan 

 (May), Pipes Canyon (San Bernardino Mts. ; Mar., 

 Apr., May), San Pasqual (Apr.); Arizona, Catalina 

 Springs (May), Chiricahua Mts. (Apr., May), Mohave 

 County (Sept., Oct.), Phoenix (Apr.), Pinal Mts. (May); 

 New Mexico, Albuquerque (July), Valencia County; 

 Texas, BrownsvUle. Mexico: Sonora. 



A species easUy recognized by its wing color and 

 maculation and its close association with Yucca. The 

 larva feeds upon the dry seeds in the pods of several 

 species of that genus. There are also in the National 

 Collection three specimens reared in 1939 by W. D. 

 Pierce from larvae feeding in the seed pods of Nolina 

 parryi at Pipes Canyon, San Bernardino Mts., Calif. 

 N. parryi is a plant closely related to Yucca and by some 

 botanists classified under the latter genus. 



610. Sosipatra micaceeUa (Hampson), new combination 



Figure 617 



Ephestia micaceeUa Hampson, in Ragonot, Monograph, pt. 2, 

 p. 298, 1901. 



Forewing gray-brown powdered with black, the black 

 dusting heaviest on the costal half of wing, under mag- 

 nification some white scaling that gives the costal mar- 

 gin the bluish gray tint mentioned by Hampson; two 

 black spots on costa near base; antemedian line faint 

 but distinguishable, pale gray, well out towards middle 

 of wing and nearly vertical, bordered outwardly by 

 some black dashes, the latter most pronounced on upper 

 margin and middle of cell and on lower fold, the two 

 upper dashes more or less confluent and extended into 

 the cell; subterminal line oblique, parallel to termen, 

 inwardly angled at vein 6 and slightly so at lower fold, 

 bordered inwardly by a black line (broken more or less 

 into short dashes on the veins) ; discal spots confluent, 

 forming a black line along discocellular vein ; an obscure 

 blackish line along termen. Hind wing translucent, 

 white; the veins outlined by pale fuscous, a fuscous 



shade along costa and narrowly bordering the termen. 

 Alar expanse, 18-19 mm. 



Male genitalia similar to those of rileyella except for 

 slight differences in the shapes of transtilla and apical 

 process of gnathos. 



The female is unknown. 



Type locality: Mexico (type in the collection of the 

 Abb4 Joannis). 



Food plant: Unknown. The type was reared from 

 a larva found in a cocoon of (Attacu^) Rothschildia Ori- 

 zaba (Westwood) but the larval habits were not noted. 



Known only from Mexico. There are two males in 

 the National Collection from the city of Mexico (Nov.). 

 One of these is badly rubbed; but the other is in fair con- 

 dition, only the lower half of the forewing being some- 

 what rubbed, and it answers well to Hampson's descrip- 

 tion. Kichards and Thomson in their paper on Ephestia 

 (Trans. Ent. Soc. London, vol. 80, p. 183, 1932) give a 

 description of micaceeUa from a male so determined by 

 Hampson in the British Museum. They publish no 

 figures, but describe the genitalia; and their description 

 raises some doubt as to what they had, for they state 

 that the "dorsal thickenings" of anellus (oiu- transtilla) 

 are "absent, replaced by broad ventral thickenings of 

 the tegumen itself." If they had an example of mica- 

 ceeUa before them, this is obviously a misinterpretation 

 of structure from a poor preparation; for micaceeUa has 

 as distinct a transtilla as rileyella and no broad ventral 

 thickening of the tegumen. No phycitid in any nearly 

 related group has such a tegumen. 



611. Sosipatra anthophila (Dyar), new combination 



Figures 618, 1106 



Euryihmia anthophila Dyar, Ins. Insc. Menstr., vol. 13, p. 226, 

 1925.— McDunnough, Check list, No. 6394, 1939. 



Forewing bluish gray, rather broadly shaded with 

 white along costa and with some faint white dusting in 

 terminal area; antemedial line slightly angulate, white 

 outwardly bordered by blackish shading, especially be- 

 low the white costal suffusion; subterminal line thin, 

 white, practically straight, bordered inwardly by a nar- 

 row blackish shade and outwardly for a short distance 

 from costa by a similar blackish shade; discal dots dis- 

 tinct, separate; terminal dots obscure. Hind wing 

 white, translucent ; a narrow, pale yellowish fuscous line 

 along termen. Alar expanse 15-16 mm. 



Male genitalia with apical process of gnathos a short, 

 stout, blunt, oval, scooplike hook; transtilla arched, 

 flattened at middle; vinculum with terminal margin 

 angulate. Female genitalia with the bursa somewhat 

 more strongly scobinate than in other species of the 

 genus, especially near and at junction of bursa and duc- 

 tus bursae; signum present. 



Type locality: Uvalde, Tex. (type in USNM). 



Food plant: Opuntia (larva feeding in the flowers). 



Known only from the type series, a male from Uvalde 

 (May) and one male and one female from Devils River, 

 Tex. (May). 



