1178 
CHALIA. By M. Gaede. 
leiinckeli. 
pizote. 
tristis. 
acualpania. 
vigasi. 
rileyi. 
I should like to take this opportunity of recalling an event (related in Vol. II, p. 353) when, in an ab¬ 
solutely treeless district, great fragments of branches of undoubtedly far distant trees were brought to me by 
a pampero (storm in the steppes). A cracking noise like distant rifle-fire sounded in the sky and showed me a 
wind-spout like a pillar, by which dry and fresh pieces of wood, some as thick as small logs, were whirled round 
and round and against each other, till they were broken into small pieces. On examining these later on I disco¬ 
vered small still inhabited case-bearer bags. This is noteworthy for the diffusibility of an insect species, as such 
wind-spouts may carry insects, which are unable to fly, hundreds of miles at great speed. 
The further spread of colonies of Psychidae which have settled somewhere follows then most rapidly, 
for however uncapable of locomotion the females are, the larvae are very nimble. A box full of collected Oiketicus- 
bags if left open will be deserted by its occupants in few minutes. They scatter in all directions into every nook 
and cranny of the room. They are seldom seen even on their feeding trees in the lazy quiescence which makes 
so many other larvae seem as if they had grown to the twig. On the contrary, I observed a continual bustle 
among the Australian Oiketicus on the Paramatta as well as among the South-American ones on the La Plata, 
clearly visible from the jerking of the cases they di’ag along. 
For the reason already mentioned in Vol. X, p. 730, we do not wish to lav too much weight upon the 
fact that only 17 genera have been included here in the domain of the American Psychidae. As stated, there 
are just as many reasons for including further genera, Acrolophus for instance, as for omitting them in a work 
on “Macrolepidoptera". We have already mentioned the pros for the opinion that most Psychidae belong alto¬ 
gether to the Microlepidoptera and give preference here, as behoves a handbook, to what is of conventional im¬ 
portance. 
For the sequence of the genera the Catalogue of dalla Torre was followed, just as in Volk X and XIV. 
For the adjustment of the species in the genera more attention has been given to the views of the latest authors 
than to this catalogue. 
a) Subfamily: Chaliinae Hmps. (Oiketicoidinae Strd.). 
As the name Chaliinae was already used in the palaearctic part of the work (Vol. II, p. 364), we keep 
to it also here. The characteristic mark of the group is: the two inner-marginal veins of the forewing anasto¬ 
mose outwardly, no veinlet branching off towards the inner margin. Hind tibiae without spurs. 
1. Genus: Oialisa Mr. 
Anterior tibia with a long spur. Antennae strongly pectinated, the pinnae gradually decreasing in 
length towards the tips. Forewing with stalked veins 4 + 5 and 7 + 8 + 9, hindwing without veins 5 and 8. 
In all the species treated here, however, the neuration differs from this ride. 
Ch. kiifickeli Heyl. Veins 4 + 5 and 8 + 9 of forewing stalked, in the hindwing the veins 4—7 are short, 
8 stronger in the middle and connected with the cell by a bar. Forewing yellow above; black are the base, the 
costal margin and the veins. On the short hindwing the apex projects hardly, the ground-colour is more rusty 
yellow. Under surface darker. The $ is ash-grey, the 3 first segments yellow. G 24 mm. Argentina. — The 
larval bag is 35—42 mm long, cylindrical, longitudinally covered with grass. The single bits of grass are about 
4 mm long, encircling the bag like a screw. 
Ch. pizote Schs. In the forewing of the <§ veins 4 + 5 and 8 + 9 + 10 are stalked, 11 is absent, veins 
4 + 5 of the hindwing are shortly stalked. Antennae of the long and scantily pectinated, body and wings 
uniformly dark brown. + 15 mm. Guatemala. 
Ch. tristis Schs. In the forewing veins 4 and 5 arise from the same base, 7 and 8 + 9 from the upper 
cell-angle. In the hindwing veins 4 and 5 are close together, 8 distantly separated from 7. Ground-colour greyish 
brown. Wings densely scaled. $ 17 mm. Jalapa (Mexico). 
4 
Ch. zacualpania Dyar. In the forewing veins 4 and 5 arise from the same base, 7 + 8 + 9 are stalked. 
Hindwing with 7 veins, vein 8 connected with the cell by a bar. Wings grey, scantily scaled. 22 mm. Described 
according to a single specimen from Zacualpan (Mexico). 
Ch. vigasi Schs. Similar to zacualpania , smaller, more transparent. Wings grey, semidiaphanous, 
scantily scaled with darker hairs. Costal margin of forewing finely black. Fringe darker grey. 16 mm. Las 
Vigas (Mexico). 
Ch. rileyi Heyl. Antennae of $ of % the length of the costal margin of the forewing, broadly pectinated 
in the middle, anterior tibia with a large spur. Wings greyish yellow, narrowly edged with brown, oblong, no 
