682 William T. M. Forbes 



outside. Eggs in a belt around a twig, the belt more than twice as long as wide 

 (unless dwarfed in some way). Caterpillars mottled and striped with blue, tawny 

 yellow and black, with a continuous white dorsal line. Cocoon dense, of white 

 silk filled with yellow powder, the inner cocoon opaque and outer very slight; 

 usually formed at a distance from the food; but in captivity, often in the tent. 



New York : Common throughout the State. 



2. M. disstria Hiibner (Forest tent caterpillar). Light grayish brown; typically, 

 with two brown lines replacing the white ones of M. americana. In variety 

 sylvatica Harris, the median third is contrasting dark brown; variety thoracicoides 

 is practically immaculate, with traces of pale lines; in variety perversa Neumoegen 

 and Dyar the base and outer margin are darker than the median area; aberration 

 astricta Reiff is immaculate straw yellow, and aberration anita Reiff chocolate 

 brown, with traces of pale lines. 20-37 mm., female larger (H 10:9.) 



Caterpillar living in a colony on the trunk or a large branch of the food tree, 

 but spinning only a slight carpet; pale grayish blue, with fine orange and black 

 lines, and a dorsal stripe broken into a series of cream -yellow spots; normally 

 with a larger and a smaller one on each segment. Outer cocoon relatively strong, 

 and inner light, translucent, with only a little yellow powder; often spun on the 

 food plant. Food, forest trees, especially maple; often injurious. 



Common and general in distribution ; a variant form on the Pacific Coast. New 

 York : Common throughout the State, even on the top of Mt. Marcy. I have 

 seen variety sylvatica from Ithaca, Geneva, and Peru, and variety thoracicoides 

 from Peru. 



4. EPICNAPTERA Rambur 



(Gastropacha; Phyllodesma, in part) 



Palpi moderate, longer than in the preceding genera; vestiture closer; fore 

 wing with margin scalloped and deeply notched at anal angle; R 4 hardly stalked 

 (fig. 429) ; hind wing scalloped and deeply notched on costa, humeral cell as large 

 as discal; two humeral veins, one from point of separation of Sc and R, and the 

 other well out; Rj long, transverse, arising from R after its separation from cell, 

 M 2 and M 3 short -stalked; caterpillar much like that of Tolype, without enlarged 

 warts in our species; two transverse red bars on incisures of thorax, each marked 

 with three black dots, and concealed at rest. Cocoon on bark, flattened bke 

 Tolype. Pupa bluntly rounded at rear, less hairy than that of Malacosoma, but 

 more so than in Tolype. 



1. E. amesricana Harris (American lappet). Bright brown, shaded with dark 

 brown and frosted with white, resembling a crumpled dead leaf. Veins rather 

 darker; transverse anterior and transverse posterior lines dark, irregular, and 

 quite incomplete or waved on veins, followed by the whitish shades. Summer 

 form ferruginea Packard much redder; the ground nearly even, with some white 

 scaling, but no contrasting pale shades. $ 30, $ 45 mm. (H 41:19 J 20 J.) 



Not common. Caterpillar mottled, dark gray, on apple, oak, maple, and other 

 trees; resting on the bark by day. Two broods; moth in May and early June; 

 July and August. 



Generally distributed; a slightly variant race in the west. New York: Old Forge, 

 Rochester, Lancaster, Buffalo, Ithaca, Oneonta, Rhinebeck, Poughkeepsie, Long 

 Island. I have seen variety ferruginea from Ithaca and Karner. 



