228 Zoology of Colorado 



The family Agaristidae is represented by few species in North 

 America, but the Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata 

 Fabricius) is very common, the caterpillars feeding on Virginia 

 Creeper. The moth is a rather small, stout bodied insect, with 

 black wings on which are large light spots, two yellow ones on 

 each fore wing, and two white ones on each hind wing. It may 

 often be seen in gardens. 



The Noctuidae constitute an immense assemblage of moths, 

 several of which are familiar as cutworms in the larva stage. In 

 general, these moths are dull colored and unattractive, but some 

 are exceedingly beautiful. The Rhodopipsa masoni of Smith is 

 found resting on flower heads of Gaillardia aristata, with which 

 its red and orange colors exactly harmonize. It was discovered 

 by Mr. J. Mason,* formerly of Denver, through the picking of a 

 Gaillardia flower on which a moth happened to be resting. Another 

 very beautiful moth is Rhodophora gaurae, the larva of which 

 feeds on Gaura, a plant of the Evening-primrose family. The 

 upper wings are white flushed with delicate pink, and with an 

 oblique bar of deep pink. Other handsome noctuids are the large 

 moths of the genus Catocala, which especially frequent the trunks 

 of cottonwood trees. When at rest on the trunks of the trees, 

 they are very hard to see, the gray mottled wings being just like 

 the bark. But when they fly, we see the under wings, banded 

 with bright red and black. Several species have been found at 

 Boulder, namely C. hermia Hy. Edwards, C. luciana Hy. Edwards, 

 C. verecunda Hulst, C. aspasia Strecker, and C. aspasia var. 

 augusta Hy. Edwards. 



In September 1914 great numbers of the Cotton-worm moth 

 (Alabama argillacea) appeared about the lights in Boulder. About 

 the same time they were observed at St. Paul, Minnesota. The 

 moth breeds in the cotton fields of the south, and occasionally 

 migrates in great swarms. Such migrating moths, coming north, 

 of course perish, leaving no offspring. The moth has the upper 

 wings warm light reddish brown, with a dark spot on the base of 

 which is a white dot. This must not be confused with the Boll- 

 worm moth (Heliothis obsoleta) the wings of which are pale 

 ochreous varying to light olivaceous, with a dark spot and faint 



*Mr. Mason's very fine collection of Lepidoptera is preserved in the Colorado Museum 

 in City Park, Denver. 



