Young larvae feed gregariously on the surface of the leaf, 
skeletonizing it. Older larvae devour the entire leaf. Serious in- 
festations have been recorded in Florida and Texas. Several thou- 
sand acres of turkey oak were defoliated during an outbreak in 
Florida in 1966. Generally speaking, however, the species is most 
important as a pest of people, because of its poisonous spines 
(68). There may be two generations per year in the more 
southerly portions of its range. Winter is spent as a pupa in a 
cocoon spun some place on the host tree. Hand picking of larvae, 
using gloves, is a common control practice. The tachinid para- 
site, Carcelia lagoa (Towns.), is sometimes abundant in Texas 
infestations. 
The crinkled flannel moth, Lagoa crispata (Pack.), occurs 
throughout the eastern half of the United States and feeds on a 
wide variety of plants, including oak, black locust, birch, cherry, 
and apple. According to some reports, it occurs most commonly 
in the northern parts of its range; however, it is known to have 
comyletely defoliated shin oak over several hundreds of acres of 
range land in Texas. The adult is cream-colored, with black wavy 
lines and brownish, crinkled hairs on the forewings. Full-grown 
larvae are oval-shaped and about 25 mm. long. The body is cov- 
ered with long, silky brown hairs which meet in the form of a 
ridge along the back, and then slope off roof-like on each side. 
Winter is spent in the pupal stage in a cocoon. The cocoon is 
unique in being urn-shaped and having a flat, hinged, circular 
lid which is lifted as the moth emerges. The stings produced by 
the spines on the larvae of this species apparently are less severe 
than those produced by related species (68). 
Norape ovina Sepp feeds on red bud, mimosa, and beech from 
New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania southward. The adult is 
a pure white moth with a small amount of crinkly hair. The lar- 
vae are spotted and sparsely clothed in tufts of hair. 
FAMILY PYRAUSTIDAE 
The grape leaf folder, Desmia funeralis (Hbn.), an important 
pest of grape, both cultivated and wild, occurs in eastern America 
and along the West Coast. It also feeds on Virginia creeper and 
red bud. The adult is black except for a white band on the ab- 
domen of the male and two white bands on the abdomen of the 
female. The forewings are trimmed with white and have coppery 
reflections. The wingspread is about 25 mm. The larvae live in 
tubes formed by rolling over the edges of leaves and tying them 
with silk. When they become full-grown, larvae are covered with 
sparse, fine, yellow hairs, are translucent yellow green on the 
sides, and are 18 to 25 mm. long. The winter is spent in the pupal 
stage inside the larval tube. There are two generations per year 
in the South. 
The basswood leaf roller, Pantographa limata G. & R., occurs 
on basswood in southern Canada and throughout eastern United 
States. The adult is white, except for shadings of pale yellow and 
olive or dull-brown markings, and has a wingspread of about 37 
mm. Full-grown larvae are bright green, except for black heads 
and black cervical shields, and are about 25 mm. long. Adults 
300 
