Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States 471 



from base to apex; costa faintly barred with fuscous; a small white diseal dot. 

 Fringe dusted with fuscous. 13-20 mm. 



June and July; September. Larva on Scirpus and grass. 



Virginia; Indiana; Utah. 



33. POLYCHROSIS Ragonot 

 (Eudemis auct., Chrosis Guenee) 



Similar to Olethreutes; no secondary sexual characters; hind wing (fig. 269) 

 with M 3 and CUj distinctly separated at origin. 



The moths are three-brooded, typically leaf rollers in habit, and also feed on 

 flowers and fruits when in season. The moths of the various species are very 

 similar to each other and difficult, sometimes impossible, to name without the food- 

 plant. They show the Cymolomia pattern, but the base is more consistently of the 

 ground color, with a brown antemedial fascia only; the median band has only the 

 lower tooth on the outer side, and is broad, gradually narrowing to the inner 

 margin; the upper tooth is usually replaced by a small separate spot. The sub- 

 terminal patch is usually very large and broadly oval. It is doubtful if all these 

 names will stand as species; some of them are perhaps rather food-varieties. 

 Polychroses have also been bred from several other plants, but have not been 

 described as distinct (figs. 269, 282). 



Key to the species 



1. Hind wing white, fuscous at apex only; fore wing irregularly mottled and 



shaded with white 1. yaracana. 



1. Hind wing fuscous, sometimes darker toward margin, or blackish; no white. 

 2. Subterminal patch evenly broad-elliptical, with only a few black scales on 



outer margin, resting broadly on outer margin (8) botrana. 



2. Subterminal patch separated from outer margin by a streak or patch of the 

 ground, except at upper side, where it sends a spur obliquely down to 

 margin; more rarely, entirely separated from margin. 

 3. Basal half of fore wing blue-gray, with narrow dark brown antemedial 

 and broken basal lines only. 

 4. Fringe light brown, concolorous with paler parts of wing. 



5. Pale edging of lines gathered to form a pale dot above tooth of 



median fascia 9. magnoliana. 



5. Area above tooth of median fascia mostly dark gray. 



9. liriodendrana. 

 4. Fringe dark blue-gray, sometimes with light spots in its outer portion. 

 5. Hind wing contrastingly pale, whitish, at base.... 10. cypripediana. 

 5. Hind wing dark gray, hardly paler at base. 



6. With a dark postmedial patch or short fascia 7. rhoifructana. 



6. With confused markings beyond upper end of median fascia, in 



part longitudinal streaks 8. viteana. 



3. Base of fore wing with blue ground, crossed by a strong basal line and a 

 broad dark brown antemedial fascia. 

 4. Dorsal third or half of pale antemedial fascia heavily shaded with light 



luteous, showing to naked eye as a pale spot. . 4. carduana. 



4. Antemedial fascia of ground color, wholly gray, or with the luteoxis 

 only finely edging it. 

 5. Dorsal half of median fascia ochreous, a third as broad as width 



of wing, showing as a contrasting pale patch 5. uruncrtna. 



5. Median fascia all dark, or narrowing to a point at inner margin. 



