CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OF HORTICULTURE. 



The family Lithosiidae consists of small or medium sized insects, 

 which feed principally upon lichens. They pupate in silken cocoons, 



in which the hairs of the 

 larva are mixed. They are 

 not, as a rule, destructive to 

 cultivated plants, and so 

 can be dismissed from fur- 

 ther consideration here. 



FIG. 6" 



Yellow bear (Spilosoma virginica). a, larva ; 

 b, pupa; c, moth. 



The family Aretiidse is a 

 very large one, being repre- 

 sented by thirty-eight genera 

 and over two thousand spe- 

 cies, of which there are some 

 hundred and twenty species 

 in the United States.. It in- 



cludes the so-called woolly-bears and tiger-moths. They are stout- 



bodied moths with moderately broad wings and usually spotted or 



striped. Some of them are very highly colored and others are white. 



They are mostly nocturnal 



and are attracted to the light. 



Their larvae are covered with 



long hairs, which grow in 



bunches, and they are very 



general feeders, being found 



on a wide range of vegetables. 



The Arctiidse are represented 



in our State by the fall web- 



worm, although the family is 



a very numerous one with us. 



The family Agaristidse con- 

 sists of day-flying moths, us- 

 ually of moderate size, and 

 it contains some of the most 

 beautiful members of the in- 

 sect world, although the most 

 beautiful members of it are 

 found in the tropics. In Cali- 

 fornia the wood-nymphs are 

 common, and are representa- 

 tive of this family here. 



The family NoetuidSB in- 



eludes a very large number of 



FIG. 68. Catocala lacrymosa. A, upper surface ; B, 



85 Cl Sed ' & '^ " ""* *" 



