The Moths and Butterflies 441 



KEY TO FAMILIES OF BUTTERFLIES (LEPIDOPTERA WITH THE 

 ANTENNA FILIFORM, WITH A CLUB, OR KNOB, AT THE TIP). 



A. With the radius of the fore wings five-branched and with all of these branches 

 arising from the discal cell (Fig. 634); club of antenna? usually terminated by a 



recurved hook (Skippers.) Superfamily HESPERIINA. 



B. Head of moderate size; club of antennas large, neither drawn out at the dp 

 nor recurved. Large skippers with wing expanse of 2 inches or more. 



MEGATHYMID^E (p. 441). 



BB. Head very large; club of antennae usually drawn out at the tip and with a 

 distinct recurved apical crook. If the crook is wanting, the species expand 



less than i-J inches HESPERIID^E (p. 442). 



AA. With some of the branches of radius of the fore wings coalesced beyond the apex 

 of the discal cell (Fig. 635); club of antennae not terminated by a recurved hook. 



(The butterflies.) Superfamily PAPILIONINA. 



B. Cubital vein of the fore wings apparently four-branched (Fig. 635) ; most of 

 the species with tails on the hind wings. 



(The swallow-tails and parnassians.) PAPILIONID^E (p. 446). 

 BB. Cubital vein of fore wings apparently three-branched (Fig. 636). 



C. With only four well-developed legs, the fore legs being unused, much 



shorter than the others, and folded on the breast like a tippet, except 



in the female of Hypatus; radius of fore wings five-branched (Fig. 636). 



(The brush-footed butterflies.) NYMPHALID^E (p. 450). 



CC. With six well-developed legs; radius of fore wings, with rare exceptions, 

 only three- or four-branched (Fig. 637). 



D. Medial vein of the fore wings arising at or near the apex of the 

 discal cell (Fig. 637), except in Feniseca tarquinius, in which the 

 wings are dark brown with a large fulvous spot on each. 



(The blues and coppers.) LYCJENID^E (p. 443). 



DD. Medial vein of the fore wings united with last branch of radius 

 for a considerable distance beyond the apex of the discal cell (Fig. 

 638); ground color white, yellow, or orange. 



(The whites and sulphurs.) PIERID^E (p. 444). 



The family Megathymidae, or giant-skippers, contains but one genus, 

 Megathyma, represented by but five species, of which none is found outside 

 of the southern and southwestern states. The best-known and most widely 

 distributed species is the yucca-borer, M. yucca, whose larvae live as bur- 

 rowers in the roots of several species of yucca, and are from 4 to 6 inches 

 long. The eggs are laid on the leaves and the young larvae spend a short 

 time above ground in a cylinder made of a rolled leaf tied across with silk. 

 Later they tunnel into the stem and downwards into the root, sometimes to 

 a distance of 2 feet or more. When ready to pupate they crawl up to 

 the chimney-like funnel at the top of the burrow and transform there. The 

 moth expands i\ inches, is deep umber-brown with a notched ferruginous 

 band and other smaller blotches on the fore wings, and the hind wings with 

 a ferruginous border. The other giant-skippers are of similar size and 



