132' 



free from them, and again others with Init one species at most 

 preying upon them. 



A striking feature of Hawaiian Lepidoptera is the ahnost 

 complete absence of gregarous feeding in the caterpillars. Per- 

 haps there are none strictly gregarious, bnt some, as the cocoa- 

 nut leafroller (Omiodes hlaclcburni) , are gregarious when quite 

 young. Another feature is that the greater number of the 

 species are hidden feeders either in rolled or spun-together 

 leaves, in cases, in silken galleries in trash, in stems of living 

 plants, or in dead stems and rotten wood. They have not com- 

 plete protection, however, as special parasites have become dev- 

 eloped to reach them in their hiding places. 



In this paper, an attempt is made to give the feeding habits 

 of all species so far as known or previously recorded. The 

 authority is given where the observation is not my own. In- 

 troduced species are included along with the others. The order 

 of families taken up is the same as that given in the '''Fauna 

 Hawaiiensis," and the nomenclature there given is followed. 



There are quite a number of genera, some of them large 

 ones, of which as yet the larvse are entirely unknown. On the 

 other hand, for a few of the large genera, I have discovered the 

 larvae and food-plants of a majority of the species. At the 

 present time there are some 770 odd known species of Lepidop- 

 tera in the Hawaiian islands, and as will be seen by this paper, 

 something is kno^vn of the habits of nearly one-fourth of these 

 species. 



Caeadrinidae. 



r ^' ... 



Leucania euchdias Meyr. — The caterpillars of this variable 

 species feed on various species of ferns, particularly on Acrosti- 

 chum spp., and Aspidium cyatlieoides, though on a number of 

 others as well. L. pyrrliias Meyr. — The caterpillars feed chief- 

 ly on sedges, particularly Baumea meyenii, also on grasses and 

 sugar cane. L. amhlycasis Meyr. — Grasses and sugar cane. L. 

 vnlpuncta Haw. — The cosmopolitan army worm, feeds on 

 grasses, cereals and sugar cane. 



Agroiis ypsilon Rott. — Cosmopolitan, feeds on garden and 

 farm crops, sugar cane and weeds. A saucia Hub. — Cosmopo- 

 litan, garden and field crops, sugar cane and weeds. A dis- 

 locata (Walk.) — Garden crops, grasses and sugar cane. A. ere- 



