LEPIDOPTERA. 
313 
Family Agaristid^E (Ag-a-ris'ti-dae). 
The Wood-nymph Moths . 
These gayly-dressed moths are a delight to the collector. 
We have but few species of them in this country, and an 
even smaller number are common. These moths are either 
black with large, white or yellow, rounded patches upon the 
wings, or they have the front wings white, margined with 
brown, and the hind wings pale yellow. They are chiefly 
day-flying; but some of them are attracted to lights at 
night. 
The shape of the antennae varies greatly in the different 
genera. In Euthisanotia 
the antennae are fili¬ 
form ; in Alypia slightly 
enlarged near the tip; 
and in Psyckomorpha 
they are filiform in the 
female and pectinated 
in the male. The max¬ 
illae are moderately well 
developed and spirally 
rolled. The venation 
of the wings (Fig. 379) 
is very similar to that 
of some Noctuids; but 
there is no difficulty in 
separating the two fam¬ 
ilies, the Wood-nymph 
Moths being very dif¬ 
ferent in appearance from any Noctuids. 
The larvae are but slightly clothed, and live exposed on 
the leaves of plants. Our more common species feed 
chiefly on grape and Virginia-creeper, which they some¬ 
times injure to a serious extent. In such cases they can be 
destroyed by the use of Paris green. This substance can 
Fig. 379.—Wing's of Cofiidryas gloveri. 
