Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States 567 



1. P. pertextalis Lederer. Cream -white.; markings light gray-brown, clean-cut; 

 postmedial line hardly waved, sinuous ; subterminal clean-cut, contrasting, deeply 

 dentate; orbicular a distinct ring, reniform a double bar (unlike Crocidophora serra- 

 tissimalis, which is superficially very similar) ; some light brown streaks on veins, 

 and also between them along outer margin; terminal line continuous, dark brown. 

 Hind wing closely similar. Discal dot practically obsolete on under side, distinct 

 above. 20-28 mm. (H 47:54.) 



Two broods, flying mainly in June and August. 



General in distribution; not rare. New York: Fentons, Honeoye Falls, vicinity 

 of Buffalo, Ithaca, Big Indian Valley, Albany, New Windsor, New York City; Lyn- 

 brook, Long Island. 



P. gentilis Grote appears to be the name for the smaller yellower specimens, 

 with clean-cut markings; feeding on Erigeron. Large variants of this type, 

 approaching P. thestialis and P. fissalis, have been bred from Ilex and Clethra. 



2. P. thestialis Walker. Markings as in P. pertextalis, ground paler, with decided 

 violet iridescence; orbicular and reniform often filled with brown, contrasting; ter- 

 minal space often suffused with brown, slightly paler than the subterminal line. 

 Hind wing with a blackish discal spot, contrasting , below as well as above. 

 28-35 mm. 



Very close to the preceding species but apparently distinct. June and July. 

 Larva on Corylus, linden, and Euonymus. 



Generally distributed. New York: Mt. Marcy, Lewis County, Lewiston, Ithaca, 

 Karner, Rhinebeck, Katonah, New Windsor. 



3. P. fissalis Grote. Ground nearly pure white. Pattern as in P. pertextalis, 

 but more or less broken up into arrowhead marks on the interspaces. Discal 

 spot on hind wing distinct above, completely absent below, except as it shows by 

 transparency. 25-30 mm. 



Larva on sassafras and goldenrod in late May; long, fusiform, grayish yellow, 

 shining; tubercles large, shining, brown-stained around the edges; ia and ib of 

 thorax partly fused. Head and cervical shield pale brown. Pupa in a slight web 

 in crumpled leaves. Moth from June to August; commonest in July. 



Atlantic States north to Maine. New York: Otto, Ithaca, Utica, Little Falls, 

 Catskills. 



4. P. seglealis Walker. Cream color, heavily shaded with dull brown; often with 

 only the space between the reniform and orbicular spots pale, and a rather clearly 

 defined pale shade beyond the postmedial line; in light specimens with the subter- 

 minal line represented by a vague dark shade. Veins more or less dark-streaked; 

 terminal line visually marked by a series of darker dots. Discal dots of fore wing 

 above simple, of hind wing below nearly obsolete. 30 mm. 



Larva on Phytolacca; also reported from Osmunda, possibly confused with 

 P. theseusalis. Moth from June to August; common in July. 



General in distribution. New York: Buffalo (VanDuzee), Liberty (Morton), 

 Ithaca; Bucks Hollow, Staten Island. 



5. P. langdonalis Grote. Cream color; antemedial line obscure; postmedial line 

 merely the boundary of the very broad dark brown subterminal space, normal in 

 course. Reniform a thick spot. Outer margin narrowly cream color. Hind wing 

 with a similar smaller discal dot, and equally broad border. (H 47:52.) 



Late June and July. 



New Jersey to central Illinois, south to Tennessee. 



6. P. flavidalis Guenee. Pale lemon yellow, shading into cream color, usually 

 bright yellow along the margins; sometimes with only the costal margin bright 

 yellow; markings red-brown, sometimes mixed with blackish; normal, tending to 

 break into spots; the horizontal part of the postmedial line usually absent, and 

 the part of the postmedial from Cu 2 to the inner margin apparently continuous with 

 the reniform. tSubterminal line thick, irregularlv offset on veins; terminal line fine. 

 28-35 mm. 



