Il6 STRUCTURAL AND SYSTEMATIC ZOOLOGY 



are sometimes mistaken for humming-birds. The 

 "potato worm" is the caterpillar of a sphinx. The 

 most conspicuous moths are the large and beautiful 

 Telea, distinguished by a triangular, transparent spot 

 in the center of the wing ; the white Bombyx, or " silk- 

 worm ; " the reddish-brown Clisiocampa, whose larva, 

 " the American tent caterpillar," spreads its web in many 

 an apple and cherry tree ; the pale, delicate Geometrids ; 

 and the small but destructive Tineids, represented by 

 the clothes moth. 



6. Coleoptera, or "beetles." This is the largest of 

 the orders, the species numbering about ninety thousand. 



FIG. 76. a, imago, and b, larva, of the Goldsmith Beetle (Cotalpa lanigera) ; c, pupa 

 of June Bug (Lachnosterna/usca). 



They are easily recognized by the elytra, or thickened, 

 horny fore wings, which are not used for flight, but 

 serve to cover the hind pair. When in repose, these 

 elytra are always united by a straight edge along the 

 whole length. The hind wings, when not in use, are 

 folded transversely. The mandibles are well developed, 

 and the integument generally is hard. The legs are 

 strong, for the beetles are among the most powerful 

 running insects. The larvae are wormlike, and the pupa 

 is motionless. The highest tribes are carnivorous. The 

 most prominent forms are the savage but beautiful tiger 



