Lepidoptera of New York and Neighboring States 641 



The moths rest with the fore wings folded, enclosing the hind wings 

 in a tight roll, the whole held at a sharp angle, often at right angles, 

 to the body. The flight is very weak and suggests that of a crane fly: 



Egg of flat type. Caterpillar (fig. 405-407) with prolegs slender, 

 often almost stalked, with a few hooks in a single band; the hair often 

 glandular; usually with secondary or tufted hair; warts iv and v, as 

 well as i and ii tending to unite, but quite variable. Spiracles small 

 and circular, unlike the Macrolepidoptera. They are mostly leaf 

 rollers, a few are borers. 



Pupa usually suspended by the tail, but of the incomplete type in 

 the number of free segments ; maxillary palpi absent ; fore and mid- 

 legs extending between eyes and antennae; never with a deep groove 

 between ninth and tenth segments of abdomen; rough or with tufted 

 setge, often very angular. Cremaster elongated, covering a ventral 

 strip on last three segments, or divided in two. 



The Pterophoridse are an isolated group, but evidently nearest to 

 the PyralididEe; over 350 species are known. 



The northeastern genera represent two tribes. In the Platyptiliini 

 there are almost always specialized scales in the fringe ; the second 

 feather of the hind wing contains three veins (save in Trichoptilus) ; 

 the head usually bears bifid scales, and the female frenulum is usually 

 simple. The larva almost always has secondary hair. The Ptero- 

 phorini never have specialized scales in the fringe, there are only two 

 veins in the second feather, the head rarely bears bifid scales, and the 

 female frenulum is usually of two bristles. 



In this family the revision by Barnes and Lindsey has been followed 

 in the delimiting of genera and species, but it has seemed better to leave 

 the more familiar generic names undisturbed, retiring the two oldest, 

 Pterophorus and Alucita, temporarily, as of uncertain application. If 

 Hubner's "Tentamen" is taken at face value as a real attempt to 

 define a series of genera by fixing types, Pterophorus would fall to a 

 group not known from the northeastern States, in any case. The key 

 to .Oidgematophorus is based primarily on Barnes and Lindsey 's key. 

 New York records in some cases are few on account of the impossibility 

 of verifying records at present. 



Key to the genera 



1. Hind wing with a black scale tuft in third feather. 

 2. Fore wing with marked anal angle; second feather truncate. 



3. First feather of fore wing also truncate, with marked anal angle; Rj and 



R 2 both free (fig. 402) 1. Platyptilia. 



3. First feather lanceolate; R t only free 2. Oxyptilus. 



2. Both feathers linear 3. Trichoptilus. 



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