336 LEPIDOPTERA. 



The Glaucopidians,* so named from the glaucous or bluish- 

 green color of some of the species, are distinguished from 

 the other Sphinges by their antennas, which, in the males 

 at least, and sometimes in both sexes, are feathered, or 

 furnished on each side with little slender branches, parallel 

 to each other like the teeth of a comb. In scientific works 

 such antennas are called pectinated, from pecten, the Latin 

 for comb. 



The caterpillars of the Glaucopidians have sixteen feet, 

 are slender, and cylindrical, with a few hairs scattered 

 generally over the surface of the body, or arranged in 

 little tufts arising from minute warts, and are without a 

 horn on the hinder extremity. They devour the leaves 

 of plants, and make for themselves cocoons of coarse silk, 

 in which they undergo their transformations. The chrysa- 

 lids are oblong oval, rounded at one end, tapering at the 

 other, and are not provided with transverse rows of teeth 

 on the surface of the body. In the caterpillar and winged 

 states, in the nature of their transformations, and in their 

 habits, these insects approach very closely to the PJialcence, 

 or moths, forming the third division of Lepidopterous in- 

 sects, among which they are arranged by some naturalists. 

 There are not many of them in Alassachusetts, and only 

 one species requires to be noticed here.f 



This is the Procris Americana (Fig. 163), a small moth 

 ~. ,„„ of a blue-black color, with a saffron- 



. \ 1 ^ colored collar, and a notched tuft on 



^8| w* * ne extremity of the body. The wings, 



^^\ ■ |^^^ which are very narrow, expand nearly 

 ™ one inch. This little insect is the 



American representative of the Procris vitis or ampelophaga 

 of Europe, which, in the caterpillar state, sometimes proves 

 very injurious to the grape-vine. The habits of our spe- 

 cies are exactly the same ; but have been overlooked, or 



* See additional observations on page 319. 



t For the other species see Silliman's Journal, Vol. XXXVI. pp. 315 to 319. 



