New species of Prodoxidae

Tegulae (pterogodes

^ofLatreille;

paraptera

^of

McLeay

^;

scapu

laeof other authors)^, the triangular ^scales

covering

^{the base of} the primaries.

NEW SPECIES OF PRODOXID^.

BY C. V. RILEY.

Upon my

^return

^from

^{California in} 1887 ^I

gave some account

before the Society of the^insectsassociated

with Yucca

brevifolia, the tree

yucca

^{of the}

Mojave

^Desert,

^and

^exhibited

specimens

^of the

Pronuba, which

I

found

to

be

associated

with

theflower of the

yucca

^{as its} pollenizer. ^I called attentionto its peculiarities

and suggested

^thatI

would

describe it

by

^{the specific}

name

of

para- doxa.

Pressure of other

work

has,

up

^{to the} present time, pre

vented my doing

^so,

but

in

connection with an

article

which

I

have

recently

prepared

^{for the}

Annual Report

^{of the}

Missouri Botani

cal

Garden

I

have

characterized thedifferent species of

Prodoxi-

dae.

As

that publication^isnot purely

entomological

^incharacter,

I

have decided

to present the descriptions of the

new

_speciesto this society forpublication.

Pronuba

synthetica.

LARVA

_(Fig. 15, a).

Length when

full-grown^

14

mm. Somewhat more

cylindrical thanthatofyttccasella,the general colorbeingbluish-green^tintedwith arosaceoushue; otherwise undistin- guishablefromthose of the othertwo _species.

Fig. 15.

Pronuba

synthetica: a, larva fromside; ,

9

chrysalis, ven

tralview; ^{c,do., lateral} view nat. size in hairline; d, lateral, e dorsal viewof anal_jointsof_<$; f,g,^do. of 9 >>&> dorsalviewof 2dand_3djoints of

abdomen

all

more

_enlarged.

OF

CHRYSALIS

_(Fig. 15, b,c). In _size,general shape and arrangement^of the spines similar^to that of yuccasella, but readily distinguished by^the- wing-sheathsⁱⁿboth sexes reachingonly^tothesixthabdominal_jointand tha posteriorlegs to the seventh,whereasinyuccasella the formerreach tothe eighthandthelattertoaboutthemiddleof the ninth.

Themedio-

dorsal spines^{are also}longer,

more

prong-likeandless spatulate,while the capitatespine^is perhaps^lessprominent.

The

difference is

more

_particu

larlynoticeablein the greater lengthand prominence^{of the}two_spineson thesecond abdominal _joint.

The

anal _{joint in} themaleis narrower and comparatively longer,and thetwoterminalteeth

much

shorter thaninthe female, ^alsonot so well definedas inyuccasella.

The

^anal

_segment

^inthe

female ^isbroader and stouter than inyuccasella, withtheteeth shorter, stouterand further_{apart, (c,} d, e,f,g, k.}

IMAGO

_(Fig. 16, ).

Expanse

9' ^I5~²

mm.; $,

^16-18

mm. _Body

flattened, piceous.

Wings

smoky-gray; ^{the scales} sparse and _{as easily} loston the upper ^surface, especially of primaries, ^{as in} the _Sesildse, so

Fig. ^16.

Pronuba

_synthetica^: a,

9

with wings expanded, ^hair-line

showing

^{nat. size; 3, lateral view of the head andneck,}

more

enlarged,

showing

^apurely^lateral viewof the trophi not ⁱⁿ pairs toavoid confu sion,the maxillary palpus(tnp)with itstentacle(*/); tongue(/); labial palpus(//); base ofantenna

(/)

; eye(<?); front trochanter (f).

314

thatnone but those _carefully killed soonafterissuingfrom the chrysalis

show

the wings well covered. In such specimens the general color^is cinereous, the primaries but slightlydarker than secondaries, thescales being narrow and elongate^; mostlygray, butwith an admixtureofblack ones.

The

_exposed

membrane

of the

wing

^isfuliginous except^a narrow discal space

and more

or less of the costal region

which

remain sordid white. Fringes paler but sparse and easily lost except ^at anal angle of hind _wings, where _they persist. Veins black and _strong.

Body

^but sparsely clothed ^infreshest specimens and soon

becoming

bare except ^at neck; highly polished and minutely punctate, and in

some

_specimens with metallic tendency.

Head

_(Fig. 16, )withthehair pale ferruginous;

eyesbrown, naked; ^labial palpibrownish-blackwith sparsewhitescales;

maxillary^{tentaclesstout}and brown,^shorterthan tongue^: max._palpinearly aslong^as tentacle,basal jointstout, rounded,joints² and _{3 short,}sub- equalⁱⁿlength,joint 4 very long, terminal joint with twospinesat tip;

tonguevery^stout, long and ferruginous; antenna? ^black.

Thorax

with

two

singular transverse-ovid translucent and

somewhat

opalescent spots recallingtheso-calledcenchriof Tenthredinids; legs stoutand_{dark, the} hindtibise andtarsi pale ferruginous.

Abdomen

_separated from thorax dorsal_lyby^abroadand deep^suturewhich ispale rufousbycontrast with the general piceous color; anal joint (Fig. 17, l>,c,d) ⁱⁿ 9 rufous, with darkershade_{at base,} the sidescompressed from above andexpanded ^into a broad and_angulate wing, ^{the borders of} whichare thickenedand stiff-

Fig.17.

Promiba

_synthetica: ,enlargedviewgenitalia of

$

^fromside;

&,do., from behind; c,anal_jointof female with ovipositor^exserted.dor

sal view; d, do, lateral view; ^e, ovipositor, dorsal view, ^still

more

enlarged;/",do., fromside.

OF WASHINGTON.

ened and converge^toarather sharptipwhichis,however, obliquely trun catefrom theside; ovipositor issuing generally ^atright anglesand with the

same

parts ^{as in}yuccasella but ^allstouter and shorter_(e,f). In the (^the dorsal fulvous suture or _pit

beween

thorax and

abdomen

is

more

profound andconcave, the

abdomen

is lessflattenedandthe claspers are brown,_verystout, one-halfas long^{as the}

abdomen,

the basal partbroad and leaf-like, the terminal part abruptly curved upward, ^{dilated into a} decurved _{triangular tip,} and the

prong

quite long,slightly curved and denticulate at_tip. (#, b.}

Described from _{28 9'}^s> IO_cf'sfr

m

yuccabrevifolia.

This

is the third species of

Pronuba

sofar

known, _{P. yucca}

sellapollenizing

and _breeding

ⁱⁿ thefruitof the different

Yuccas growing ^within

^the

^United.

^{Stateseast of the}

Rocky ^Mountains and showing

^a

^remarkable

uniformity ⁱⁿ coloration;

Pronuba

Fig.^18,

Pronuba

maculata:_{a, tip}of female

abdomen

; bjo,basaljoint of ovipositor; tjo, terminal joint do.; ov, oviduct; imp, max. palpus; mt, maxillary^{tentacle; /,}tongue; gs, claspers of male from sides; gp, ^do.

from behind_{; pr,}frontwings

showing

arrangement of spots ⁱⁿ two of the

more common

forms hairline

showing

^nat.size.

maculata

_{(Fig. 18)}affecting in a similar

way Tucca whipplei

^of California,

and showing very

great variation in the

macula-

tion of the

wings. This

last_is,also,

one

of the

most remarkable

of the

Lepidoptera,

^{as it is the}

only

species ⁱⁿ

which

the

tongue has become

so altered asto

be

_scarcely

capable

^of

forming

^{a tube,} the

two

_parts

_{being very}

_{easilyseparated}

and covered throughout

theirlength

with dense

hair.

Prodoxus

pulverulentus, ^n. sp.

IMAGO

_9- Expanse, 9-10

mm. Gen

eral color,white; headwith the antennae white, the ^basil half fuscous;

eyes

brown

; palpi pale yellowish,^hairs white. Thorax, ^{with thehair} mixed with a few blackish_scales; primaries white,

more

orless densely sprinkled with blackish scales at the posterior third, and _sparselyso on the remaining portion. These dark scales produce ^a

powdery

ap pearance of the wings, the

amount

_varyinginthe specimens^before me, therebeingⁱⁿtwoof

them

but a faint traceof the darkerscales; second aries white, with a broad dusky ^anterior margin; undersurfaces

more

densely^flecked with blackish scalesand hence

somewhat

darker.

Abdo men

fuscous above, with afew long ^{whitish hairs} onthe terminal two joints; venter and _legs white. Tip ^{of the}

abdomen

_shapedas inP.

marginatus.

I

have

five

specimens

^ofthis species, ^all females,

two

of

them

reared

from

the

seed-pods

^of

Yucca whipplei

ⁱⁿ

May,

^1886,

by Mr. _Koebele,

the

pods

^{obtained at} Santiago, California,

while

three

specimens were _given me _by

President

H. W. Harkness and Mary ^{K. Curran,}

^{of the California}

Academy

of Science, ⁱⁿ April, 1887,

and obtained from

the flowers of the

same Yucca.

The

adolescentstates are still

unknown.

Prodoxus

y-inversus,^n. sp.

IMAGO

_{9- Fig.19. Averageexpanse,14}

mm.; ^,10-12 mm.

Generalcolorwhite. Head,thorax,legs, andab

domen

white beneath, the^hairsbetween the antennae occasionally_yel lowish. Eyes black; palpi white; tipof labials yellowish^; tonguepale yellowish. Primaries

marked

with black as follows a costal streak

Fig. 19. Prodoxus_y-inversus: a, leftfront

wing

^{hair-lineunderneath}

showing

^natural size; b,genitalia of male, dorsal view

X

^J4; ^c-> do., lateral view

X

^J8; </,anal_jointof female,with_ovipositor exserted, ^lat eralview

X

^{2 ? ei}tipof ovipositor^stillfurther enlarged.

along ^{the basal half,}widening

somewhat

posteriorlyand

more

or less

completely fused, with a round _{spot near} its end.

An

_elliptical or roundish_spotaboutthe middle of the

wing

^{atthe basalthird; a}

more

or less sharply defined inverted-Y-shapedbandacross the posterior^thirdof the wing, with its exterior

arm

_generally connected posteriorly with a black patchwhich extends along ^the posterior border but^is

more

orless

broken atthe extreme border,and also along ^{its inner} margin. This

OF WASHINGTON.

terminaldark_{patch usually}broadens towardthe apex and ^is sharply cut off on the costa at about the outer fourth of the wing. Secondaries pale yellowish, darkest ^at apex; fringes concolorous. Undersurfaces with the dark markingsof the primaries ^less sharply^defined.

Abdomen,

brownishabove, themale claspers (Fig. 19, ^,c),yellowish-brown, almost bare, quite slender,and _gradually narrowing toward ^the tip, which is

almost_acute; each

arm

is provided with5 or 6 very small, cylindrical, acuteteeth at the posterior edge; basal lobes are almostcircularand concaveatthe innerside; upperbasal plate triangular.

Anal

_segmentof thefemale obliquely truncatefrom _{above, but}slightly sobeneath, the ovi positor stout, yellowish-brown,^its terminal partslender,compressed ^lat erally, the upper edge ^{of the} apex being finely and _acutely serrate.

(Fig.5,d,e.)

Described from

four

males and seven

_females,

no two

of

which

are exactly^{alike in} the

marginal

^details of the inverse

Y-shaped band nor

in those of the terminal patch.

Specimens

^of

^both

^{sexes ofthis} species

were

reared

from

_parts of a

pod

^of

^an unknown

_species of

Yucca

_(but doubtless .

baccata) received

from Mr. D.

C.

Chapman,

^of

Washington, D.

C.,

who had obtained them

in

May,

1883,

from New Mexico,

^the

moths

_issuing

_during May

^{of the}

following

year.

The

larvas infest the _fleshyportions of the

pod and produce

hard, _gall-like swellings.

The cocoon, which,

as

with

the other

species, ^is constructed within the

burrow,

^is pale

brownish, and resembles an

_elongate, cylindrical bag,

rounded

at the base

and

cylindrical at the apex.

When _ready

^to transform, the larva ^retires to the

lower

third of the

bag and

separates ^it

from

the

upper

^two-thirds

by

^a dense, tough, delicate whitish, layer of _silk, thus dividing the

cocoon

into

two unequal chambers. No

larvas

were _pre

served,

but

those

which were

noticed incutting

open

^{the swell} ings

showed

a

remarkable resemblance

to those of decipiens.

The

_chrysalis also has not

been

studied.

Prodoxus

reticulatus, ^n. sp. IMAGO. _9- Expanse, ^10-11

mm.

_(Fig.

20). Generalcolor,white.

Body

with whitish _hairs,those of the head inclining ^to yellowish, intermixed with a few darker hairs, especially

Fig. ^20. Prodoxusreticulatus; female with wings expanded ^hair-line

showing

^naturalsize.

around the antennae; the terminal _joint of the palpi pale fuscous;

vestitureof the _legs superiorly dusky, with _{a slight}cupreousreflection.

Primaries with transverse blackish bands as follows:

An

oblique basal band

much

constricted atmiddlesothat costal halfisusually triangular;

a narrow band along ^the posterior border andthe intervening space be tweenthese two bands _occupied by ^a broad

W-shaped

band, the outer arms of the letter running parallel with the basal andterminal bands.

Fringes^white. Secondariesgray^; fringes

somewhat

darker. Undersur- facesgray, with ^abrassyreflection, the darker markings of the primaries being^butfaintly indicated.

Abdomen

withthe anal_jointperpendicularly truncate,theflexiblebasal part of the ovipositor ratherbroadatbaseand pale,while theterminal part^isstout, sharp,and brownishin color.

I

have but

three

females

of this species,

taken by Mr. Koebele

in

March

at

Los _Angeles,

California,

but without any

^{notes of}

habit

Prodoxus

coloradensis,^n. sp. IMAGO.

$.

Expanse,

n mm.

_(Fig.21).

General color, white and

somewhat

_glossy, the hair of the head being faintly yellowish between the antennae. Eyes black; antennae whiteatbasal _third, the rest fuscous; palpiand tonguepaleyellow.

A

Fig. ^21. Prodoxus coloradensis: a, left front

wing

^{hair-line under} neath

showing

^naturalsize; 3,male_genitalia,dorsalview

X

^X55 ^c->do., lateral view

fewhairson the maxillarypalpiandtheextremetip blackish. Primaries (Fig.^6,a) with^awell-definedband_startingatright anglesfrom costato basalthirdand then obliquing suddenly though slightlytowardbase; a

somewhat

similarbandacross the middle of the

wing

obliquing^firstin the opposite ^{direction, i.e.,} posteriorly, and then almost _parallelwith thefirstband_; anda forked or

somewhat

Y-shaped band ^{across the}pos terior thirdofwing; ^aterminal black border connects with this

Y-mark

atanal angle but not ^at apex, and there is

more

or lessblackatbase of wing. Secondaries whitish above_; fringes white. Undersurfaces _faintly dusky witha slightaeneus reflection and the markings of the primaries less definedthanabove, andthe secondaries

somewhat

dusky toward^the apex.

Abdomen

Brownishwith thescales alsobrownish,especiallyalong the sides, but white beneath. Claspers pale brown, covered with long

yellowish ^hairsand almost identical informwith those ofy-inversus(Fig.

7, b,c}.

Of

this species ^I

have

seen

but

a _single

male, taken

ⁱⁿ 1884,

by Mr. Morrison,

ⁱⁿ

Colorado.

^In _general

appearance,

^aswell as in the_genital characters, ^it

seems

to

be

_quite closely related to P.

y-inversus.

Prodoxus

sordidus, ^n. sp. IMAGO.

$.

Expanse,^8-10

mm.

; Q,11-13

mm.

General color, creamy-yellow, the females

showing

^the

most

white.

A more

or less distinctdusky^orblackish posteriormargin^tothe secondaries, thedark color broadening toward the apex.

The

undersur- faces haveatendency^{tometallicreflection}andthedarker color of the hind border of the secondaries isrepeated.

Abdomen

grayish-browndorsally, withiridescent reflection. Anal segment ^of

9

reddish-brown, obliquely truncate from _above, the _tip rounded. Ovipositor yellowish-brown, slenderand _finelydenticulatealong^theupperedge.

Male

claspers similar inshape^tothose of decipiens but

more

slender,thebasecomparatively broader and the apex

more

_abruptly rounded; ^{the basalside}piece nar rower and_pointedat_tip; the posterioredge ^withfrom_{3 to 5}small slender teeth.

Described from

₅

males and

_{5 females.}

I first

found

this species ⁱⁿ the flowers of

Yucca

_brevifolia

on

the

same occasion

of the discovery of

Pronuba

synthetica,

while

other

specimens were subsequently

^obtained

by Mr. ^Koebele.

In general

appearance

^the species

seems

nearest related to

P.

cinereus, being,

how

v^er,

much

_paler,

with

the greater portion of the

hind wings w

^lite.

COLEOPTEROUS LARVAE WITH SO-CALLED DORSAL PRO- LEGS.

BY C. V. RILEY.

I

have

recently received

from Mr. D. W.

Coquillett, of

Los Angeles,

California, the larva of

Mordellistena pustulata^ which he found

inthe

dry

^stalks,

apparently

^{of the}

previous

year's

growth,

of

Xanthium strumarium, and

^asthey exhibita peculiarity, viz., the possession of dorsal fleshyprocesses

having

^the

appearance

^of prolegs

which _belongs

_generallytothelarva?ofthis

genus,

^I

have thought

^{itwell toexhibit}

them

tothe Society, ^{as also}

some

other Iarva3

which

possess similarcharacteristics.

Many

^{of the}

^members

will

remember

that atthe

1890

(Indianapolis)

meeting

^{of the}

A. A.

A.

_S., at

which

I

was

not present, Prof.

H. Osborn

read a note (published ⁱⁿ the

Canadian Entomologist, Vol. XXII,

1890, pp.