604 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



Species, which was first observed in the vicinity of New York City in 

 1882 ; since that time it has spread to other parts of the East. The 

 larva is a very injurious borer in many species of trees and shrubs. 

 The young larvee bore in the small twigs ; later they migrate to larger 

 limbs or to the trunk. 



Family PYROMORPHID^ 



Fig. 729.— /I c 

 oloithus fal 

 sarins. 



Fig. 730. — Wings of Acoloithus falsarius. 



The Smoky Moths 



There are but few insects in our country pertaining to this family; 

 only fifteen species are now recognized, but these represent six genera. 



These are 



small moths, 



which are 



chiefly of a 



smoky black 



color; some 



are marked 



with brighter 



colors; the 

 wings are thinly scaled; 

 and the maxillae are well 

 developed. The larvas are 

 clothed with tufted hair; 

 they have five pairs of 

 prolegs, which are provided 

 with normal hooks. 



A tiny representative of 

 the family which seems to be not uncommon in the East is Acoloithus 

 falsarius. This moth (Fig. 729) expands 16 mm. It is black, with 

 the prothorax of an orange color. The venation of the wings (Fig. 

 730) is peculiar, in that subcosta and radius of the hind wings coalesce 

 for only a short distance beyond the middle of the discal cell, and 

 a stump of radius projects towards the base of the wing, from the 

 point of union of the two veins. The larva feeds in early summer on 

 the leaves of grape and of Virginia creeper. It is said that the pupa 

 state lasts fourteen days and is passed within a parchment-lilvc cocoon. 

 The adults frequent flowers in the daytime. 



Another well-known species is Pyromorpha dimididta. This is 

 foimd in the Atlantic and Western States. The entire insect is 

 smoky black, except the basal half of the fore wings in front of the 

 second anal vein, and the basal half of the costa of the hind wings, 

 which are yellow. The wings are thinly scaled and expand 25 mm. 

 or a little more. The male is larger than the female and is more 

 active. Figure 731 represents the venation of the wings. Some spe- 

 cies of the genus Pyromorpha are remarkable in that none of the 

 branches of radius of the fore wings coalesce beyond the discal cell. 



