Lepidoptera op New York and Neighboring States 73 



in size; in some western and exotic species nearly meeting on vertex, 

 with two sizes of facets in male. Antennae in some genera short, 

 in Adela the longest known in the Lepidoptera, several times as long 

 as fore wings; often shorter in female, and more densely scaled; 

 commonly with two equal whorls to a segment, or irregularly scaled 

 and bristled (figs. 46-^18) ; maxillary palpi long and folded, short 

 and porrect, or rudimentary, — in Prodoxinae the longest known in 

 the Lepidoptera; tongue scaled at base. Palpi and hind tibiae often 

 densely hairy, especially in male. Fore wing with complete vena- 

 tion or a single vein lost, cell large, accessory cell and base of M 

 usually distinct, 1st A distinct at margin, 2d A forked at base. Mem- 

 brane aculeate over the whole surface of the wing. Hind wing with 

 Sc swollen at base, R x normally forming a heavy basal fork of it, 

 though completely fused in Adela; base of Rs obsolete, R and M x 

 stalked only in Nemotois, 3d A x occasionally free at tip (fig. 43) ; 

 scaling often hair-like, and iridescent or metallic in many species. 

 Female, so far as known, with last segments heavily chitinized, with 

 strong, piercing ovipositor; laying its eggs in the tissues of the 

 food-plant. 



Caterpillars, so far as known in the Adelinae, case-bearers; the case 

 typically lenticular and formed of a piece of leaf; borers in seeds 

 and stems of Yucca and related Liliaceae, in the Prodoxinae. Head 

 normal in form, the adfrontals reaching the vertex, the front about 

 two-thirds way, setae as a rule obscure ; iv and v rather close together, 

 and iv sometimes migrating far up behind spiracle, as in the Hepi- 

 alidae. Prolegs normally with two areas of granulations bearing rudi- 

 mentary hooks, with a single line on sixth segment of abdomen, and 

 no anal prolegs; prolegs reduced to one or two rows of minute hooks 

 in Incurvaria, and all lost in the Prodoxinae; true legs also lost in 

 Prodoxus. 



Pupa incomplete, chitinized, with a frontal beak; thorax, -appen- 

 dages and terminal segments only lightly soldered; third segment of 

 abdomen free; dorsal spines in a patch or pair of patches on each 

 segment, sometimes supplemented by a row of spines; maxillary 

 palpi distinct, extending from antennae to base of maxillae; prothorax 

 very narrow and more or less depressed; dorsal head piece conspicu- 

 ously widened (the "Adelid prothorax"). A few Incurvarias (of 

 group Lampronia) have only the series of spines on abdomen, and 

 many genera are still unknown in the early stages. 



This is a small and ancient world-wide family containing two or 

 three hundred known species. The genera Triptodema, Mea, and 

 Pelates have not been examined for aculeae or ovipositor, and so are 

 tentatively allowed to remain in the Tineidae ; in several other genera 



