THE GRAPE-BEKEY MOTH. 19 



and European grape-berry moths in spite of Zeller's dictum which had stood unques- 

 tioned for over thirty years. Several authentic specimens of the European moths 

 were obtained and have been critically compared by an expert, Mr. W. D. Kearfott, 

 with dozens of the moths reared from American grapes, both wild and cultivated, 

 and also with the type specimens of Clemens's viteana and some of Riley's material. 

 Briefly stated, the conclusion is that the American grape-berry moth is Clemens's 

 viteana which is distinct and easily separable from the European insect. This con- 

 clusion, based on a comparison of the moths alone, is strongly supported by our ob- 

 servations on the difference in the life-history of the two insects, and the fact that 

 the American insect freely infests both our wild and cultivated grapes. 



The general coloration of the moth of the European insect * * * is an ashy gray 

 with pale grayish hind wings, while the American moths range a trifle smaller, and 

 are of a general purplish-brown color with smoky-brown hind wings. And the large 

 outer marginal patch near the fringe of the front wings affords a sure and easy distin- 

 guishing mark between the two insects. In the European botrana, the outer edge of 

 this pale olive-green patch is rounded and not indented below, while in the American 

 viteana this dark-brown patch is indented above the anal angle by a spur of the lighter 

 ground color of the wing. This characteristic difference is well shown in Fig. 24. 

 There is considerable variation in the indentation of this patch in viteana but it is 

 always present; we have a few specimens where the indentation extends through the 

 patch, thus making it smaller and separating off a narrow strip of it on the edge of the 

 wing, but this usually occurs on one wing only, the other being nearly normally 

 indented. Superficially the two insects are marked much alike, but are easily dis- 

 tinguished by the characteristic differences in general coloration and the outer mar- 

 ginal patch. Both species are somewhat variable in size and markings, as shown in 

 Figs. 20 and 24. 



An excellent, detailed, 75-page account by G. Del Guercio of the European grape- 

 berry moth was published in 1889 (Nouve Relazioni R. Stazione di Entomologia 

 Agraria di Firenze, Serie Prima, No. I, p. 117-193). In a careful comparison of speci- 

 mens of the early stages of our American species with Guercio's descriptions, we found 

 but few minor differences. 



The bulletin from which this quotation was made also contains 

 descriptions, on pages 57 to 59, of several new species of Polychrosis, 

 by Mr. W. D. Kearfott, under the title " Descriptive notes of some new 

 species of American moths that have been confused with the grape- 

 berry moth." The verdict of Prof. Slingerland that viteana is a 

 native American species is now quite generally accepted and has been 

 followed in the preparation of this paper. 



According to existing authentic records of its occurrence in North 

 America its distribution is confined to those eastern and west-central 

 States of the United States and to those eastern provinces of Canada 

 in which the growth of wild and improved varieties of American 

 species of grapes is of considerable extent (see fig. 4) . For, so far as 

 is known at the present time, this insect confines its depredations 

 entirely to the fruit of native and improved varieties of American 

 species of grapes. It is not known to occur in the vineyards of the 

 Pacific slope and of adjoining States where the grapevines grown are 

 almost entirely of the European or vinifera type. 



The States from which the grape-berry moth has been recorded 

 are given in about the order of destructive occurrence of the insect 



