LEPIDOPTERA 



607 



Fig. 735. — Lagoa crispata, male. 



Fig- 736. — Old cocoon 

 Megalopyge opercularis. 



735; the female is larger expanding, 40 mm. In the female the an- 

 tenna are ver>' narrowly pectinate. 



Thelar- 



VcB feed on 



many trees 



and shrubs, 



including 



oak, elm, 



apple, and 



raspberry. 



They are 



short, thick, 



and fleshy, 



and are 



covered with a dense coat of long, silky, brown hairs, which project 

 upward and meet to form a ridge or crest along the middle of the back ; 

 interspersed among these fine hairs are venomous setae. 



The cocoons are of a firm, parchment-like texture, covered with a 

 thin web of rather coarse threads. Adixed with the silk of the cocoon 

 are hairs of the larva. The cocoon is provided with a hinged lid. 



This species is found in the Atlantic States. 



Megalopyge opercularis. — This species is somewhat smaller than 

 the preceding one; the male has a wing-expanse of about 25 mm., 

 and the female of about 37 mm. The fore wings are umber brown 

 at base, fading to pale yellow outwardly; they are marked with wavy 

 lines of white and blackish hairs, and the fore margins are nearly black. 



The larvae are clothed with long, silky hairs, underneath which are 

 venomous setas. The cocoons are firmly attached to a twig of the 

 infested tree, and are each fur- 

 nished with a trapdoor. The old 

 cocoons that one sees in collec- 

 tions present the appearance rep- 

 resented in Figure 736. But I 

 found in Mississippi a cocoon, 

 which I believe to be of this 

 species, that is of the form shown 

 in Figure 737. From this it ap- 

 pears that after the outer layer of the cocoon has been made, the 

 larva constructs a hinged partition near one end of it, and adds no 

 more silk to that part of the cocoon which is outside the partition. 

 This part of the cocoon is quite delicate, and is destroyed when the 

 moth emerges if not before. 



Fig. 72,7- 

 opyge. 



-Complete cocoon of Megal- 



This species is found from North Carolina to Texas, 

 is a very general feeder; it is often found on oak. 



The larva 



