NORTH AMEEICAN LASPEYRESIINAE AND OLETHREUTINAE 5 



cave or notched; often with costal fold in male. Male genitalia 

 with uncus present or absent, when present simple, bifid or bifur- 

 cate; socii usually well developed; harpe rarely with strong spine 

 tufts on or near sacculus; cucullus usually rather broad in propor- 

 tion to its length, sometimes (in Efinotia and allied genera) nar- 

 rowly elongate; sacculus smooth at base or weakly haired. 



Las'peyresiinae. — Hind wing with vein 5 always straight and par- 

 allel with 4; veins 3 and 4 connate or stalked. Fore wing with 

 termen convex or concave, rarely notched; costal fold usually absent 

 (present in a few species of Dichrorcumpha) . Thorax without pos- 

 terior tuft (except in Gymnarulrosoma^ Ecdytolopha^ and a few 

 tropical genera). Male genitalia with uncus absent; socii usually 

 absent; harpe simple, without spine clusters on or near sacculus; 

 cucullus rather broad in proportion to its length, very rarely nar- 

 rowly elongate; sacculus smooth at base or very weakly haired. 



In female genitalia there are no definitive subfamily characters. 

 The differences (chiefly in the shape and number of the signa, the 

 shape of the genital plate and the chitinization and curvature of the 

 ductus) are of generic and specific rather than of larger group sig- 

 nificance. There is a certain habitus that tells one experienced wath 

 the genitalia of the group whether a specimen belongs in one sub- 

 family or another; but it does not seem possible to express this in 

 any satisfactory description. 



LARVAL HABITS AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 



A variety of larval habits prevail in the two subfamilies. In the 

 Olethreutinae the majority of the species feed externally on the leaves 

 or flowers of trees, shrubs, and low plants, either exposed or as leaf 

 tiers, folders, or rollers. Some are seed feeders in the capsules or 

 fruits and a few are stem or root borers in low plants. In the 

 Laspeyresiinae a larger percentage are internal feeders in fruits, nuts, 

 or seed capsules. Some are stem borers and a goodly number leaf 

 folders. 



The latter subfamily contains several of our most important 

 economic insects, notably : The notorious codling moth ( Carpocapsa 

 ponionella)^ the oriental peach moth {GraphoUtha molesta), two 

 other serious fruit pests {G. paekardi and G. prunivora) , the pea 

 moth (Laspeyj'esia niyricana), the acorn moth (MeJissopus latifer- 

 reanus), the Robinia gall maker (Ecadytolopha insiticiana) and a 

 group of spruce cone moths that do serious damage by the destruc- 

 tion of seeds {Laspeyresia piperana and allies). 



In the Olethreutinae we have a spruce defoliator of importance 

 {Taniva alboUneana) and the destructive grape berry moth {Poly- 

 chrosis viteanu). 



