646 



^.V INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



This 



Fig. 792. 



mta fu. 



vein Cu 



Des- 



SUBFAMILY PYRAUSTIN^ 



TJie Pyraustids 



is one of the larger of the subfamilies of the Pyralididas; 

 about three hundred species have been described 

 from America north of Mexico. This subfamily in- 

 cludes many small moths; but it contains also the 

 majority of the larger species of pyralids; some of 

 the species are very striking in appearance. 



The members of this subfamily differ from other 



■era. is. pyYoXidQ by the following combination of characters. 



There is no fringe of long hairs on the basal part of 



of the hind wings; veins Ro and R5 of the fore wings arise 



from the discal cell 

 distinct from vein 

 R4 (Fig. 790); and 

 the maxillary palpi 

 are never ver}^ large 

 and triangular. 

 Among our better 

 known species are 

 the following. 



The grape leaf- 

 folder, Desmia fun- 

 erdlis. — ^This is a 

 common species 

 throughout the 

 United States, the larva of which feeds 

 on the leaves of grape. The larva folds 

 the leaf by fastening two portions to- 

 gether by silken threads. When full 

 grown it changes to a pupa within the 

 folded leaf. The moth is black with 

 shining white spots. The male (Fig. 

 792) differs from the female in having a 

 knot-like enlargement near the middle 

 of each antenna. There is some vari- 

 ation in the size and shape of the white 

 spots on the wings. In some females 

 the white spot of the hind wings is sep- 

 arated into two or three spots. There 

 are two generations of this species in the 

 North and three or more in the South. 

 The basswood leaf -roller, Pantogra- 

 pha limdta. — Our basswood trees often 

 present a strange appearance in late 

 summer from the fact that nearly every 

 leaf is cut more than half way across the 

 middle, and the end rolled into a tube (Fig. 793) . Within this tube there 



Pig. 793. — Nest of larva of Pan- 

 tographa limata. 



