LEPIDOPTERA 259 



So far as is known the larvae in the later stages of their growth are 

 borers in the stems and roots of various species of Yucca and Agave and 

 the larvae spin silken tubes between the young and tender shoots of these 

 plants. 



Megathymus streckeri (Fig. 452) will serve as an example of the giant 

 skippers. The specimen figured is a female of the variety known as 

 texana. 



Fig. 452. — Megathymus streckeri. 



A much better known species is the yucca-borer, Megathymus yuccas. — 

 The female of this species differs from that of the preceding in having 

 much darker wings, all of the spots being smaller, and in having only 

 one or two white spots on the lower surface of the hind wings. The male 

 lacks the erect hairs on the hind wings. The larva bores in the stem and 

 root of the Yucca or Spanish bayonet. It differs greatly in appearance 

 from the larvae of the Hesperiidae, having a small head. This species is 

 widely distributed through the southern part of our country. 



Family Hesperiid,e 

 The Common Skippers 



This family includes all of our skippers except the very small number 

 that belong to the preceding family, the giant skippers. 



The larvae of the common skippers present a very characteristic ap- 

 pearance, having large heads and strongly constricted necks (Fig. 453). 

 They usually live concealed in a folded leaf or in a nest made of several 

 leaves fastened together. The pupae are rounded, not angular, resembling 

 those of moths more than those of butterflies. The pupa state is passed 

 in a slight cocoon, which is generally composed of leaves fastened to- 

 gether with silk, and thinly lined with the same substance. 



One group in this family is known as the skippers with a costal fold. 

 The males of many of these forms have a fold in the fore wing near the 

 costal margin which forms a long slit-like pocket containing a sort of 

 silky down. This structure forms a scent-organ, and the pocket is known 

 as the costal fold. It is not present in all of the species. 



These skippers are of both moderate and rather large size. Most are 

 dark brown marked with white or translucent angular spots. The an- 

 tennae usually have a long club which is bent at a considerable distance 

 from the tip. 



