710 



AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



Only twelve species are known in our fauna; these represent 

 five genera. 



One of the more common species is Habrosyne scnpta. This has 

 fawn-colored front wings, conspicuously marked with light bands 



and zigzag lines (Fig. 

 903). According to 

 Thaxter, it lays its 

 eggs late in July, in 

 chains of five or six, 

 on the leaves of rasp- 

 berr>% upon which the 

 larvae feed. The ma- 

 ture larva is rich yel- 

 low-brown, often al- 

 most black, with a 

 distinct dorsal black 

 line. The lateral por- 

 tions are more A^ellow 

 with blackish mott- 

 lings. When at rest the 

 larva either elevates 

 the cephalic and cau- 

 dal ends of the body, 

 like the notodontids, 

 so that the head rests 

 upon the caudal seg- 

 ments, or conceals it- 

 self in a case formed 

 by curling down the 

 edge of a leaf. It 

 makes a ver>^ slight 

 cocoon late in August. 

 Another common 

 species is Psettdothya- 

 tira cymatophoroides . This species is slightly larger than the preceding 

 one, expanding nearly 50 mm. The front wings are silky gray tinted 

 with rose. They are marked with a black spot at the base, a double 

 or triple line, forming a black band at the end of the basal third of the 

 wing, two black spots on the outer half of the costa, a black spot at 

 the anal angle, and a row of black points on the outer margin. There 

 is a variety, expultrix, which lacks the black band and the four black 

 spots. The larva of this species has been foimd on red oak; it is of 

 a rich yellow-brown, mottled with fine dark lines, and lives in a case 

 made by fastening leaves together; some specimens have several 

 cream-white spots. It makes a slight cocoon late in September; the 

 adult emerges in June. 



Family DREPANID^ 

 The Drepanids 

 The typical members of this family are small, slender-bodied 

 moths, which can be easily recognized by the sickle-shaped apex of 



Wings of Habrosyne scripta. 



