PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC WASH 100(4). IWS, pp. 731-741 ON THE IDENTITY OF HOLCOCERA GUILANDINAE (BUSCK 1900) (LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIOIDEA: COLEOPHORIDAE: BLASTOBASINAE) David Adamski Department of Entomology, NHB-127, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, U.S.A. Abstract. — Adults of Holcocera guilandinae (Busck 1900) can be confused with two other species, H. crassicomella Dietz 1910, and H. grenadensis (Walsingham 1897). A lectotype is designated for Blastobcisis grenadensis, and this species is transferred from Blastobasis Zeller 1855 to Holcocera Clemens 1863 (n. comb.). All three Holcocera species are redescribed herein, with complete synonymies given. Photographs of imagos, illustrations of the male and female genitalia and wing venation, and a key to the species are provided. Key Words: Holcocera, Holcocerini, crassicomella, grenadensis. guilandinae The blastobasine moths are probably one of the most frequently collected groups of Gelechioidea in the Americas. Yet, they re-main one of the least known to science. Generally, species of Blastobasinae are drab with few diagnostic wing color patterns. This characteristic crosses specific, generic, and even familial boundaries, and makes identification difficult, if not impossible, unless genitalia are examined. Hypotheses of relationships based pri-marily upon limited character systems, like wing venation, often result in unnatural or paraphyletic groups. More natural groups or monophyletic groups result when characters of the head, venation, genitalia, and others are incorporated into a phylogenetic analy-sis. Many genera have come and gone as a result of this change from single character system analysis to a multiple character sys-tem analysis. The 16 genera of Blastobasinae listed by Hodges (1983) were proposed by previous lepidopterists using primarily head and ve-national characters. A multiple character system for phylogenetic analysis used by Adamski and Brown ( 1989) recognized this proliferation of artificial taxa and presented a phylogenetic classification that contained only seven genera, including Holcocera Clemens 1863. Holcocera is defined by the following combination of characters; ventrolateral margin of gnathos weakly fused with teg-umen, anellus multisetose, and proximal flange of valva with laterally dilated apex. Species of Holcocera feed on a variety of hosts that are sunmiarized by Adamski and Brown (1989). Hodges (1983) listed 57 species and va-rieties within Holcocera. Adamski and Brown (1989) listed 28 species and varie-ties, and Adamski and Hodges (1996) only eight. The numbers of valid species de-creased because of species transfers and synonymy. The closely similar wing patterns of Hol-cocera guilandinae. H. crassicomella, and H. grenadensis have resulted in misidenti-fications in museum collections as well as confusion with other species. The goals of this study are to clarify the taxonomic re-
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