Publ. 20. XI. 1936. 
MELITTIA. By B. Zukowsky. 
1249 
and again in July and August, thus two breeds here. The eggs are deposited on all parts of melon-pumpkins 
and allied plants, but chiefly on the stems and leaf-stalks. For its pupation, the larva known as “pumpkin- 
borer leaves the stem and spins a rather solid cocoon near the soil between stalks or even a few centimetres 
in the soil itself. — ab. amoena Hy. Edw. A not quite clear aberration which is only mentioned here for the amoena. 
sake of completeness. Forewing without the hyaline streak, abdomen black with a purple reflection, the seg¬ 
ments laterally greenish white, anal tuft orange brown with black and white hairs, the tarsi black. Kansas. 
— var. ceto Ww. (179 b). The marginal line of the hindwing narrower, about as broad as vein 2 at the apex, ceto. 
the space between 6 and 7 transparent in the <$. 29—37 mm. Especially in the States of the Atlantic Coast. 
Mo snowii Hy. Edw. (179 b) is very near to cucurbitae, but the parts being olive green in the latter, snow'd. 
such as the wings, thorax etc., are more greyish brown in snowii, without any metallic reflection. The abdomen 
is paler orange, light grey beneath. Forelegs whitish, mixed with light brownish hair, femora white. Middle 
legs greyish brown, hindlegs whitish outside, femora orange, black inside. 25 mm. Kansas. Apparently only 
1 cj is known. 
M. satydniformis Hbn. (179 b). Head blackish bronze, white before the eyes. Palpi: 1st joint black, satyrinifor 
2nd red outside, 3rd red with a black apex. Antennae black. Collar, thorax and abdomen blackish bronze, 
7th segment greyer. Anal tuft black, laterally white. Ventrally, the two first segments are black, the following 
ones scarlet in the middle, edged with black. Legs chiefly black with some white and red. Hind tibiae with 
projecting black hair, intermixed with scarlet outwardly, with whitish blue hair in the centre of the tibiae, 
more prominently white beneath, the tarsi black and red, scantily haired. Forewing black with a greenish 
blue reflection, a short hyaline streak at the base. Hindwing transparent, lustrous blue, veins and margins 
black, a few whitish blue scales at the base, fringes of all the wings blackish bronze. 31 mm. Colombia, but 
presumably in the whole north of South and Central America, where there are suitable habitats. 
M. pukhripes WJcr. (179 b). Dingy golden green. Head behind and around the eyes white. Palpi white, pulchripes. 
Thorax with whitish hair behind on each side. Abdomen above pale red, the 5 last segments with an almost 
square black spot, dingy yellow beneath. Legs black with white bands, tibiae with red hair outside. Fore¬ 
wing dingy golden green, hindwing transparent. 29—38 mm. Honduras, Venezuela, Colombia, Para. — The 
close affinities between M. satyriniformis, cucurbitae and pulchripes and their distinctions have been largely 
dealt with by Le Cerf in Oberthur, Lep. comp. 14, p. 150 — 160. 
M. gloriosa Hy. Edw. (179 c). Head grey, face white. Palpi white outside, yellowish above. Collar gloriosa. 
and thorax greyish brown. Antennae dark ochreous, with darker dents. The 1st, 2nd and 4th abdominal seg¬ 
ments above greyish brown, laterally orange, the two last segments and the anal tuft blackish with a feeble 
blue metallic reflection which is also slightly indicated by a few scales on the posterior margins of the segments, 
under surface whitish. Anterior and middle femora and tarsi brownish, here and there mixed with little orange. 
Hindlegs with long orange hair inside, outside black with straw-coloured admixtures, especially towards the 
base. Forewing greyish brown, warming into olive or orange, beneath with more orange. Hindwing trans¬ 
parent, vein's and inner margin orange, fringe greyish brown. The $ has the hindwings thickly dusted with 
orange above and beneath with brown fringes. <$\ 40—45 mm. 40—58 mm. South California, Arizona. 
— Larva in the roots of the sumac (Rhus laurina) and the roots and stalks of Megarrhiza. 
M. grandis Strck. (= beckeri Drc.) (179 c). Head and thorax greyish brown, palpi yellow. Legs yellow, grandis. 
tarsi with black rings; hindlegs inside with long orange hair, blackish in the middle on the top. Abdomen 
brown, sides orange, lighter orange beneath. Forewing beautifully olive green with a brown streak, yellowish 
beneath except the apex which remains greenish. Hindwing transparent in both sexes, veins dingy orange, 
fringe greenish brown, the partition-line darker. Very similar to gloriosa, but immediately discernible by the 
colour of the abdomen, of the forewings and above all by the hindwings being invariably transparent in both 
sexes. (J 38 mm, $ 50 mm. Arizona, Texas, Mexico. 
M. lindseyi Barn. & Rothsch. (= superba Barn. & Linds., barnesi dalla Torre). Avery large species, lindseyi. 
Head and thorax dull greenish grey. Collar and ends of the patagia with traces of yellow hair. Palpi yellow, 
antennae black. Abdomen beneath yellowish white with black traces on the posterior margins of the segments, 
above the two firs+ segments and the 4th yellow with black posterior margins, the 3rd. 5th and 6th white, 
likewise with black posterior margins, the rest bluish black. Forelegs yellow, tibiae and tarsi marked black, 
middle legs yellow, femora blackish on one side, tibiae apically black and laterally reddish orange, tarsi black 
with some yellow at the base of the segments; posterior femora black, beneath in the distal half orange arcl 
yellow towards the end, posterior tibiae reddish orange, outside black, mixed with yellow and whitish. The 
bluish black parts have a beautiful metallic reflection. Forewing dull greyish green with a yellowish shine 
near the base, fringe lighter and darker ochreous, dingy yellow in the basal half. Hindwing transparent, with 
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