26 



BULLETIN 67, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Fig. 52.— A Sesiid, or clear-winged moth, Synanthedon pic- 

 tipes: a, Moth; 6, eggs; c, caterpillar; <l. pupa; c, pupa in 



the "skippers." Their larvae are large, smooth caterpillars, often 

 with a horn near tip of body. The old group of Bombyces (fig. 49), 

 now divided and scattered, included some of the largest species of 

 the order. The pale green Luna moth and the American silkworm, 

 or Cecropia moth, are well-known forms. The Io moth has a green 

 caterpillar, which can "sting" when handled. The gipsy moth also 



belongs in this group, 

 jM as well as the silkworm 

 moth, which, next to 

 the honey bee, is the 

 most valuable insect. 

 The caterpillars of this 

 group are usually spiny 

 or hairy. Allied are 

 the Noctuida?, or owlet 

 moths (fig. 50). They 

 are rather stout- 

 bodied, of moderate 

 size, with dark colors. 

 The caterpillars are 



CASE. 



smooth, and often 

 known as cutworms. Among them are many of our most destructive 

 insects, such as the bollworm and the cotton leaf-worm. 



Another great group is the Geometridse (fig. 51), whose larva? have 

 fewer prolegs than usual, and in consequence hump up their body 

 when crawling, and so are called measuring worms. The moths have 

 slender bodies and large wings, often of handsome shades and. tints. 

 The cankerworcn belongs to this group. The slug caterpillars, which 

 apparently have no feet and are often 

 of curious shapes and bright colors, are 

 the young of the Limacodid moths. 

 One of these, the saddle-back caterpil- 

 lar (fig. 135), will ' 'sting" when touched, 

 producing a sort of rash on the skin. 

 The clear-winged, or Sesiid moths (fig. 

 52), are peculiar in that a part of the 

 wings is destitute of scales. Their larv» 

 usually bore in the stems of plants and 

 trees. The caterpillars of a small group 

 of moths (Psychidae) live in a case of leaves, which they carry about 

 with them. One, the well-known bagworm (fig. 136), is often found 

 upon evergreens, locust trees, etc. 



Several families of small moths (the Pyralidse, Tortricida?, and 

 Tineidse) are often grouped together by entomologists under the 

 name of Microlepidoptera, or simply "Micros." The Pyralids (fig. 



Fig. 53.— A Tortricid moth and its cat- 

 erpillar, Semasia nigricana. 



