LEPIDOPTERA . 
29I 
or less lizard-like tail. They live upon the foliage of shrubs 
and trees, and transform in a web between the leaves, or 
in a case in a rolled leaf. 
Only a small number of species occur in our fauna; at 
present we know only eight; and all but one of these pertain 
to the eastern half of the continent. 
Our most common Hook-tip Moth is Platypteryx arcu- 
ata (Pla-typ'te-ryx ar-cu-a'ta). This species is of a dirty 
white color marked with dark brownish lines and bands as 
shown in Figure 345. Its larva feeds upon white birch. Pla - 
typteryx genicula (P. ge-nic'u-la), another eastern species, re¬ 
sembles the preceding, but differs in being of a light ochre- 
yellow color and in the course of the wavy lines on the front 
wings. A third similar species occurs in California; this is 
Platypteryx simlifera (P. sic-u-lif'e-ra). 
Family CYMATOPHORID^E (Cym-a-to-phor'i-dae). 
The Cymatophorids ( Cym-a-toph'o-rids ). 
The Cymatophoridae include moths of medium size, 
with elongated wings. The front wings are usually slightly 
widened at the inner angle (Fig. 348), and in our more 
common species are conspicuously 
marked with wavy or zigzag lines. 
The antennae are filiform and more 
or less velvety or pubescent in the 
male, and the maxillae are well 
developed. The moths fly by day, 
and when at rest fold their wings 
roof-like upon the abdomen. 
The venation of the wings is illustrated by Figure 349. 
The important features to be noted are the following: In 
the front wing vein V 3 arises midway between veins V, and 
V 3 ; while in the hind wing vein V 2 arises much nearer to V, 
than to V,. In the hind wing the subcosta and radius are 
distinct, and vein V, is joined to radius by a comparatively 
Fig. 348.— Thyatira scripta . 
