19 



more or less like that represented in the figure of the male here pre- 

 sented, there being great variability as to the extent of the ground 

 color and the border. In extremely dark individuals the ochreous is 

 scarcely apparent save in a small portion of the middle of the wings. 

 In the females the wings are entirely reddish, purplish, or plumbeous, 

 and in some cases nearly black. The head and thorax are usually light 

 in the male and of the same color as the wings in the females. The 

 abdomen in both sexes is gray. The hind-wings are transparent, light 

 silvery fuscous, with a rather strong subbasal line on the inner margin 

 of the cilia. The peculiar structure of the. antennae and mouth-parts 

 of the male is mentioned somewhat in detail with enlarged figures in 

 the report of the Commissioner of Agriculture for 1881. A portion of 

 these have been adapted to figure 2, here reproduced. The variability 

 of the species is shown by the different synonyms founded on colora- 

 tional differences. Of these, angustelhcs Blanch, 

 agrees with the type; incautellus Zell. differs in 

 having the central portion of the fore-wings bright 

 reddish; while tartar ettus Zell. has the fore- wings 

 plumbago or blackish. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Fig. 2. — Elasmopalpus 

 UgnoseUus: a, base of male 

 antenna, dotted lines indi- 

 cating outline of scales; 6, 

 head of male with, mouth 

 parts denuded; c, maxillary 

 palpusof male — all greatly 

 enlarged (after Riley, 

 Rept. Dept. Agr. 1881) . 



The original specimens of this species accom- 

 panying the first reported injury in the United 

 States were received from Richmond County, Ga. 

 The species was reported the same year at Atlanta, 

 Ga., and Columbia, S. C, and as far north as 

 Chapelhill, N. C. In the National Museum col- 

 lection we have also specimens from Euf aula, Ala. , 

 Archer, Fla., Kansas, and Texas, the last State being represented by 

 material from several sources, in all probability from as many 

 localities. 



Zeller recorded this species from Texas, and Dr. Hulst (Tr. Am. 

 Ent. Soc. , Vol. XVII, p. 159) added Florida, with the additional state- 

 ment that it had been taken in the Bahamas, Venezuela, Buenos Ayres, 

 Patagonia, and Chile. Zeller also records Colombia and Brazil. 



^fc is evident from this that the species is of southern origin, obvi- 

 ously tropical, and perhaps introduced from the West Indies into 

 subtropical North America. As no very extensive injury has been 

 recorded since its original discovery of establishment as an enemy to 

 agricultural interests, now nearly twenty years ago, it seems proba- 

 ble that there is very little immediate danger of serious injuries or of 

 the insect's spreading much farther north than where it has been 

 reported to occur in North Carolina; although this may be accom- 

 plished in time. The past year Mr. Aug. Busck obtained a perfect 

 moth at Bladensburg, Md., in August, and Mr. F. M. Webster observed 



