Lepidoptera op New York and Neighboring States 595 



69. C RAMBUS Fabricius 



Tongue moderate; palpi projecting as far as length of head and thorax; male 

 antenna simple, laminate below, the laminations usually in contact; rarely more 

 slender (mutabilis, etc.), but always more than half as wide as the length of a 

 segment. Front nearly flat. Ocelli present. Fore wing (figs. 368, 369) narrow 

 (normally about two and one-half times as long as wide), R t free or anastomosing 

 with Sc; R 2 free; R B stalked, in our species shortly, with R 3+4 ; M, and M 3 free or 

 short-stalked. Hind wing much broader, with Sc and R fused about three-fourths 

 way to apex. M t from upper angle of cell, M 2 and M 3 almost always stalked. 



Caterpillar (fig. 373) usually with good-sized tubercles, vii double on prothorax, 

 single on meso- and metathorax; only a single lateral seta on ninth segment of 

 abdomen; prolegs with an unbroken ellipse of the triordinal hooks. 



The caterpillars live mostly in tubes of silk and earth, and feed on the roots and 

 leaves of grass and other low plants. Several species have appeared from time to 

 time in injurious numbers, and many are very common. 



Pupa smooth, maxillse reaching almost to tips of wings, but with the mid-legs 

 meeting behind them; dorsum of thorax and abdomen not spined; sides of last 

 segment with deep longitudinal furrows; labial palpi often largely exposed, normal. 

 Caudal end usually truncate, with blunt angular spines; without a developed 

 cremaster. 



Key to the species 



1. Ground color silver- white (including cell and costa, and outer and inner 

 margins). • 



2. Wholly silvery-white (or shining silver-gray) 21. perlellus. 



2. With yellow below cell, and a black line on Cu 12. girardellus. 



2. With black terminal, and usually subterminal, dots only.... 20. turbatellus. 

 2. At least with a complete and regular subterminal line. 



3. Subterminal evenly excurved; seven terminal dots 19. elegans. 



3. Terminal line above, and dots below. 



4. Subterminal line slightly curved opposite end of cell.. 16. lyonsellus var. 

 4. Subterminal line sharply angulate. 



5. Expanse under 20 mm; no bright yellow 17. albellus. 



5. Expanse over 20 mm.; a bright yellow streak.. ..12. girardellus var. 

 1. Terminal space silvery; subterminal line erect, curved; median shade angulate. 



19. elegans. 

 1. Inner margin, or terminal area, or both, dark; the ground not white. 



2. A fairly broad, white, more or less silvery stripe in cell from base, cover- 

 ing most of the width of the cell. 

 3. White stripe practically reaching outer margin, but cut into trapezoidal 

 patches by median and subterminal brown bands; the outermost patch 



almost terminal 2. myelins. 



3. Postmedial silver trapezoidal patch absent, or not an even continuation 

 with the silver stripe. 

 4. Silver stripe continuing uninterrupted, and hardly narrowed to outer 



margin 11. unistriatellus. 



4. Stripe at least constricted to half its width in subterminal region. 

 5. Fore wing strongly falcate, with apex drawn out; an oval silver 



spot above tip of silver stripe 18. satrapellus. 



5. Fore wing rectangular or subfalcate; no oval subapical spot. 



6. Terminal space crossed by fine black lines from subterminal line 

 to margin; a strong costal silver streak, well separated from the 

 subcostal one; ground cream color 1. laqueatellus. 



