420 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



certain investigators to be the carrier of infantile paralysis) ; the horse and 

 ox bot-flies,"^ the frnit and vegetable flies;"- bnt by far the most nnmerons in 

 point of pecnliar species are the small vinegar flies or pomace flies. "•'^ Of these 

 there are at least forty-five species peculiar to the islands. They are attracted 

 to decaying fruit and vegetable matter in great numbers, especially to pine- 

 apples, where the species '-^ is mistaken by many ])en])lo for fruit-flies on that 

 account. 



The curious louse-flies,'"' which have very flat lx)dics and live like ticks on 

 the bodies of birds "'' and occasionally on mammmals. are represented in the 

 islands by species that are sure to arouse the curiosity of anyone observing 

 them. 



Butterflies and ]\Ioths. 



The Hawaiian Islands possess very few butterflies, but have a very large 

 luimber of moths. The moths and butterflies are all included in one order, 

 Lepidoptera, owing to the fact that all of the members of this order are alike 

 in having all four of the wings covered with minute scales. They all pass 

 through complete metamorphosis ; that is, the e^iii when hatched becomes a 

 caterpillar, the caterpillar changes to a pupa, and the pupa, after a quiet 

 period, turns into the adult winged insect. The mouth parts of the adult, 

 when fully developed, are fitted for sucking nectar from flowers, but the mouth 

 parts of the caterpillar are fitted for chewing, and it is in this stage that they 

 do great damage to various kinds of plants. The amount of damage done in 

 Hawaii is considerable, luit a great part of it is done by introduced species, 

 as has already been pointed out. However, the moths and butterflies have 

 many natural enemies, and enemies have been introduced to aid in keeping 

 them in check. 



Without doubt the struggle for existence here had much to do with the 

 production of forms that are protectively colored with reference to their 

 enemies and their surroundings. When we realize that the order is repre- 

 sented in Hawaii by more than seven hundred species."" the great majority of 

 which '^ are peculiar to the islands, w'e can realize the length of time and the 

 amount of specialization involved in the production of this interesting portion 

 of our fauna. With so large a list of species the collector is surprised to find 

 so few individuals of a species and that the majority of those found are so 

 minute. 



For convenience the Lepidoptera have been divided into the Macrohpi- 

 doptcrei and the MicroJepidopfera. To the Macrolepidejptera belong the few 

 species of butterflies, (all with club-shaped antennaO. and the larger moths, 

 making fifteen families"'' in all. Of this list but few^ are sufificientlv marked 



"1 eEstridfP. '- Trypetichc. "■' Drosophilidtv. "* DrofKi/iliild aiiijiejojihila. '^ Hippoboscidce. 



'" As the pueo and iwa. "" 733 according to Prof. Meyrick and J.in-d Walsingham in 1907. 



'^^ 661 species. 



''^ According to Meyrick. the Hawaiian Macrolepido])tera Ijolu)!? to four sujier- families, and fifteen 

 families, as follows: (a) Caradrinina — e'drndrinidfr, Pliixindw ; (b) Xotodontina — Selidoseitiidff. Spliin;/- 

 idcB. Eydriomenidtv ; (c) Papilionina — Pirridfr. Xyinpluilidir. Liirci'iiidrr. (d) Pi/rnlidiiia — Phiicitidir, 

 Galleriid(e. Crambidw. Pi/rniixtida'. Pi/riiUdiihr. Ptertipliorida/ and Orneddidiv. These families are again 

 divided into more than sixty genera. 



