LEPIDOPTERA 



239 



Fig. 419. — Apalela morula. 



The Daggers 



Nearly one hundred species of this group belong to the typical genus 

 Apatela, which is named Acronycta, by some authors. There are also 

 many other forms in this group with the daggers. 



The fore wings of these moths are gen- 

 erally light gray with dark spots, and in 

 many species have a dagger-like mark 

 near the anal angle. On this account 

 they have received the name of daggers. 

 The larvas exhibit much diversity in ap- 

 pearance; those of some species are hairy 

 like the larvae of arctiids, while others are 

 nearly naked. 



The ochre dagger, Apatela morula. — 

 This moth (Fig. 419) is pale gray with a yellowish tinge. Besides the black 

 line forming part of the dagger near the anal angle of the fore wing, there 

 is a similar black line near the base of the wing, and a third near the 

 outer margin between veins Mi and M 2 . The larva feeds on elm and 

 basswood. When full-grown it is mottled brown and greenish like bark; 

 it is clothed with but few scattered hairs, and has a hump on the first, 



fourth, and eighth abdominal segments. 



The American dagger, Apatela americana. 

 — This is a gray moth resembling in its 

 general appearance the preceding, but with 

 the black lines on the fore wings much less 

 distinct. Its larva, however, is very different 

 (Fig. 420). This larva looks like an arctiid, 

 being densely clothed with yellow hairs. 

 But these hairs are scattered over the sur- 

 face of the body instead of growing from 

 tubercles as with the larva? of arctiids. 

 Along the sides of the body and at each 

 end are a few scattered hairs that are 

 longer than the general clothing, and there 

 are two pairs of long black pencils borne 

 by first and third abdominal segments, and 

 a single pencil on the eighth abdominal seg- 

 ment. When at rest the larva remains 

 curled sidewise on a leaf, as shown in the 

 figure. It feeds on maple, elm, and other 

 forest trees. 



The stalk-borer, Papaipema nebris. — The larva is a borer in the 

 stalks of potato, tomato, corn, dahlia, aster, and other plants. It is 

 about 1 1 inches long and has five white stripes, one along the back and 

 two along each side of the body. The side stripes fade out on the first 

 segment of the abdomen. The moth has olive front wings expanding 

 about 1 1 inches with three white spots on the inner third of each and a 

 yellow crescent with three to five dots near the white crossline. The 

 other common form, nitcla, has darker olive wings without any white 

 dots and is slightly smaller. 



The brown-tailed diver, Bellura diffusa. — One of the most remark- 



Fig. 420. — Apatela americana, larva. 



