438 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Legs blue black, varied as follows : anterior coxae, fore tibiae, all the tarsi, 

 the spurs, and a band at the middle and apex of the hind tibiae, yellow ; 

 the tarsi, however, have some dark scales, appearing faintly banded. Fore 

 wings transparent, purple black, borders very narrow. Discal mark square, 

 bright red. Underside with borders yellow to the discal mark, which is the 

 same as above. Hind wings transparent, borders very narrow, purplish, 

 costa orange red ; underside similar to the upper. 



Female. Similar to the male. The outer margin of fore wings much 

 broader, with red scales between the veins. Anal tuft with a distinct yellow 

 lateral line. 



Expanse. Male and female, 16-18 mm. Beutenmuller 



Memythrus simulans Grote 



A golden yellow and black, wasplike clearwing having a wing spread of 1^ inches 

 is very injurious to red oak. 



This insect has seriously injured the red oaks in St Anthony park, 



Minnesota, according to Dr Lugger, every tree showing numerous holes 



from which the moths had issued and in many cases the empty pupal cases 



were projecting from them. Adults appear in Minnesota from the end of 



May and throughout the month of June, some trees harboring hundreds of 



the borers in the trunk and larger limbs. The recorded distribution of this 



species has been given as Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New 



Jersey, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. 



Description. Head black, orbits of eyes bright lemon yellow ; palpi 

 black at base, otherwise lemon yellow. Antennae black with a steel blue 

 reflection. Collar lemon yellow. Thorax black, patagia at tips, a trans- 

 verse posterior mark and spot at base of fore wing, yellow. Anterior coxae 

 yellow ; femora black, marked with a little yellow ; tibiae yellow and orange ; 

 tarsi orange. Abdomen black with a broad bright yellow band on the pos- 

 terior edge of each segment, those of the posterior segments much widened ; 

 sometimes the first to fourth segments have the bands very narrow and the 

 last three segments are wholly yellow. Underside similar to the above. 

 Forewings thinly clothed with dull orange brown scales, bordered with deep 

 brown black along the costa and inner margin, discal mark slightly indi- 

 cated. At the base of the wing is a short transparent streak, and at the 

 hind angle is a transparent area. Underside paler than above, washed with 

 orange. Hind wings transparent, with opalescent luster, margin very nar- 

 row brown. 



Expanse. 27-35 mm - Beutenmuller 



