CHAPTER XI 



SlJPERFAMILIES TORTRICOIDEA, PYRALIDOIDEA AND 

 NOCTUOIDEA 



FAMILY TORTRICIDAE 



In this great family, besides the tube-dweller, Epinotia 

 aceriella, there are few species of known leaf-mining habits, 

 though probably others will yet be found. One is Epinotia 

 heucherana, whose larva lives in a digitate mine on the 

 leaves of Heuchera americana, and is deep red in color, with 

 a black head and prothoracic shield. 



FAMILY PYRALIDAE 



Of this immense group, one species of the eastern United 

 States is an ordinary leaf -miner, one is an aquatic leaf-miner, 

 and one very large species, Melitara prodenialis (already 

 mentioned in Chapter I at page 26) is a gregarious miner 

 in the phyllodia of cacti. 



The sunflower leaf-miner, Autocosmia helianthales, as a 

 larva forms large blotch mines in the leaves. It is pale 

 green in color, with a rosy tint. The head is whitish in 

 front and mottled with brown above. Two large brown 

 spots cover most of the prothoracic shield. The frass is 

 scattered mostly on one side of the mine. The pupa is 

 usually formed in the mine. There are three broods and 

 the last hibernates in the larval stage within the cocoon. 



One undetermined species of the aquatic genus Nym- 

 phula, having a larva with reduced gills, has been found by 

 Dr. W. T. M. Forbes in its earliest instar mining the leaves 

 of water lilies. 



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