2 - BULLETIN 1076, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of the writers’ obseryations and previously published data are in- 
cluded herein. The morphology and diagnostic characters of this — 
and the other species mentioned, which have already been admirably 
worked out by Heinrich (/6) and also by Flint and Malloch (77) 
and Mosher (73, 1/5), are largely omitted from this discussion. 
SYSTEMATIC HISTORY. 
Pyrausta penitalis was first described by Grote (/) under the 
generic name Botis from material taken on Velumbo lutea at Law- 
rence, Kans. In 1890 it was redescribed by Smith (7) as Botis ne- 
lumbialis trom “Egyptian” (more properly “ Indian”) lotus, | 
XN. nucifera, at Bordentown, N. J. Thinking that he was dealing © 
with this species, Coquillett (2) published some notes on a form 
which has since been shown (72, 74) to be distinct, probably P. fu- — 
tilalis. Riley and Howard (4, p. 349, Townsend (4, p. 467), Coquil- 
lett (7, pp. 15, 17, 19, 27), and Viereck (11, p. 453) record parasites 
which will be more fully noted later. Hart (6, p. 180), gives some 
scattered biological information and descriptions of the various 
stages as observed on N. dutea along the Illinois River. Coquillett 
(7) first used the name in its present form, and Dyar (9, p. 39L) lists 
the species as occurring in the south Atlantic States, with B. nelum- 
bialis Smith as a synonym, Chittenden (7/2) summarized all the 
facts available up to the time of his paper and from them formu- 
lated a tentative life cycle which, because of the fact that he was con- 
sidering two species, one of them at the time undescribed, will have 
to be considerably modified. Welch (74) has made the latest con- 
tribution to our knowledge of the species, and his observations, 
made at Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie, although good, are incom- 
plete as to life history, because they covered only a small part of the 
growing season. His conclusions, however, come nearer the facts 
than any hitherto published. 
STUDIES AT KNOXVILLE, TENN. 
FIELD COLLECTIONS. 
The authors’ work on the species dates from July 19, 1919, when, 
after considerable search, a plantation of the yellow lotus or water 
chinquapin (Velwmbo lutea) (Pl. I) was located at Kimberlin 
Heights, about 15 miles from our laboratory at Knoxville, Tenn. This 
plantation consisted of a dense border of the plants surrounding a mud- 
bottomed pond of about 3 acres on the campus of a small denomina- 
tional school. It was said that the plants had started several years 
before from seeds thrown into the pond by one of the students. As 
nearly as the authors have been able to ascertain, this is now the only 
occurrence of the plant in eastern Tennessee, although it is known 
