Bull of N.Y. Museum V5-23, 14th Report of the state entomologist on injurious and other insects of the state of NY, 1898

New York State Mu seu m OF THE OFFI C E OF S TA TE ENT OMOL OGI ST AlballY, October IS, 1898 To the Se cretary oj' tlle Uni uersity o f th e St ate oj' N ew York: I have the honor of

Univer sity of the S t at e of N ew York

STATE OF NEW YORK

EPHRAIM PORTER

Act i1t.1{ S tate E ntam olog is ]

ALBANY UNIVERSITY OF TH E STATE OF N E W YORK

Pr ice 20 cents

Univers ity of the State of New Y or k

REGENTS

YE AR

1874 ANSON JUDD UPSON, D D., LL D., L H D

Clzancellor, Glens Falls

1892 WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE, D D., LL D

Vice-Chancellor, Albany

1873 MARTIN 1 TOWNSEND, M A , LL D Troy

1877 CHAUNCEY M DEPEW, LL D - New Yo rk

1877 CHARLES E FITCH, LL B., M A , L H D Rochester

1881 WILLIAM H WATSON, 1\1 A., M D Utica

1883 51' CLAIR lYlcKELWAY, LL D., L H D , D C L -Brooklyn

1885 HA MILTON HARRIS, Ph D., LL D - Albany

1885 D,uaEL BEACH, Ph D., LL D - Watkins

1890 PLINY T SEXTON, LL D - Palmyra

1890 T GUILFORD SMITH, M A., C E Buffalo

1893 LEWIS A STIMSON, B A , M D - - New York

1894 JOHN PALMER, Secretary of State, ex officio

1895 ALBERT VANDER VEER, M D., Ph D Alb any

1895 CHARLES R SKINNER, LL D

Superintendent of Public I nstructio n, ex officio

1896 FRANK S B LACK, B A., LL D., Governor, x officio

1896 T IMOTHY L WOODRUFF, M A., Lieutenant-Governor, ex officio

S ECR E TARY MELVIL DEWEY, M A

D I R E C T O R S OF DEPARTMEN T S

1890 JAMES RU SSELL PARSONS JR, M.A., College and High school dep'ts

1888 MELVIL D EWEY, M A., State library and Extension department

1890 F : J H MERRILL, Ph D., State museum

Univer s ity of the S tate of New York

Notolapnus leucostigma, the white­

marked tussock moth oO oo 163

Clisi"campa americana,

ple-tree tent caterpillar

Clis£ocal1zpa disstria, the

caterpillar .• _ _ oO

Mat1ustra pieta, the zebra cater­

pillar _ _ _ _

_ 158 pale brown

• _­ oo _ 158 the goose­

a A general account and bibliography is g-iven of each

New York State Mu seu m

OF THE

OFFI C E OF S TA TE ENT OMOL OGI ST

AlballY, October IS, 1898

To the Se cretary oj' tlle Uni uersity o f th e St ate oj' N ew York:

I have the honor of presenting herewith my report on the Injurious and other insects of the state of New York, for the portion of the present year ending October IS, 1898

General entomologic features The year has been characterized

by excessive damages to trees in both city and country Rep orts have been received from many localities of widespread injuries by the tent caterpillars, Clis iocampa a mericana Fabr and C d isstria Hubn The white-marked tussock moth , Notoloplws ietrco stigma Sm.-Abb., was

reported as unusually destructi ve to shade trees in various parts of the state, while in Albany its injuri es have been greater than for several years A remarkable outbreak occurred at Schenectady, the

light green larvae of Xy lina autenn aia Walker appeared in such num­bers that a large portion of the many soft maples in that city was defoliated Such destructive work by this species has never been recorded, and is a striking example of what a com paratively harmless insect can do, provided the conditions are favora ble Another interest­ing feature was the presence of zebra caterpillars, Ma mestra pi cta Harris,

in such abundance on recently gathered timothy hay as to literally cover

it Hitherto , this pest has been regarded as an enemy to cabbage and related garden crops, more rarely attacking other plants The leaves of many elms have been seriously injured by an unknown leaf miner The cottony maple-tree scale, Pl tl1,illaria i llJlltmerabilis Rathvon , has been extremely abundant and destruct ive throughout the state, affecting the soft maples most seriously The destructive brown apricot scale of California, L ecanium a rmeniacum Craw, was discovered in Erie county on

154 NE\;V YORK STATE MUSEUM

grapevine Its eradication was recommended, and it is believed that it has been effected

Elm-leaf beetle The 'widespread injuries for the last few years by the elm-leaf beetle along the Hudson river valley, induced the prepara­tion of an illustrated museum bulletin (J\1 useum bulletin 20) on this most pernicious insect, which was issued in the middle of July, at a time when the extremely destructive work of the insect was apparent to all The demand for this bulletin indicates a general interest in the methods of controlling this species In addition, a number of articles treating of this pest have been sent to local papers and addresses delivered in adja­cent places at several meetings called for the special purpose of consider­ing the best manner of subduing this insect It is hoped that the agitation

of this year will lead to more effective control another season

San J os~ scale The recent law placing the inspection of all nursery stock in the state under the direction of the commissioner of agriculture, has emphasized the intimate relations that should continue to exist between this office and his department While the law was designed

primarily to prevent the spread of this scale insect, Asp£diotus perfticiosus

Comstock, it was so drawn as to include' dangerously injurious insects,' and to the entomologist the commissioner gave the delicate task of deter­mining what species came within the scope of the law In addition, my opinion has been asked in regard to cases in which appeal from the decision of the in spector had been made to the commissioner of agricul­ture, and many examples of scale insects were submitted to me for determination When it is stated, that in order to be positive in regard

to the identity ofa scale insect, in many cases the creature must first be treated with potassium hydrate and a microscopic preparation made, some idea of the time occupied by this work will be gained

Office publications In addition to the bulletin on the elm-leaf beetle, the early part of the year was largely occupied by the work inci­dent to the publication and distribution of the late Dr Lintner's r ath report, for the year 1896, and preparation of his 13th report, far the year

1897, now in press The prominent place among economic entomolo­gists occupied by Dr Lintner, and the most excellent character of all his work, rendered it very desirable that his numerous publications should

be made accessible to all, so far as possible Therefore, in addition to a short notice of his life, a bibliography of his writings, giving a brief abstract, title, place and date of publication, and a general index of his

13 reports, based on the extended one in that for 1894, have been pre­pared as a supplement to this report, and will appear in a subsequent bulletin As much of this work had to be done in the early summer, at a

REP OR T O F ST ATE EN TO MO L OGIST , 1898 155 time when field work could most profitably be under taken, original investigation was necesarily somewhat limited

Office work The routine office work of the division during the past summer has been heavier than at any time since my conn ection with the office Without attemptin g any radical innovations, it has been my aim

to render services of the greates t prac tical value to the public The numerous calls for infor mat ion from all qua rt ers indicate that my efforts have been grea tly apprec iat ed The demand for press notices, mainly agricultural, has been grea ter than that record ed any previous year Abstracts of my principal publications, 72 in number, are given in a sub­sequent portion of this report The presentat ion in agricultural and

other journal s of reliabl e informatio n regarding insects sho uld be encour­aged, as it brings the recommend ations before farme rs and others at a time when they are of the greatest value, which is not always true of bul­letins and rep ort s Considerabl e att ention has been paid to this branc h of the workwih most gra tifying results Alargeport ionof these noticeshave appeared in the C ou n try gmt/eman, one of the best agricultural weeklies, but in no case has preference been shown to any paper Every request for information has received due attent ion The corr espondence has been unusually heavy The number of letters received since January I

is 748", and the nu mber writt en is I 199 Most of the queries resulted from a general desire for inform ati on, thou gh some were due to exces­

sive ravages by tent caterpill ars and other insects

The work of the division has been grea tly facilitate d by the assign­ment to it of a junior clerk, Miss M 1 Bull, who se services, though she

had no previous entomologic training, have been a grea t aid, relieving

me of considerable clerical work and thus allowing time for more import­ant duties The purchase of a good field camera constit utes a valuable addition to the equipment of th e office

Collection of insects The sta te collect ion of insects remains prac­

ticall y as it was at the beginning of the year, with additions as given later

in this report The pressing dutiesof theoffice duringthe past few years have prevented much desirab le work bein g done on the collect ion Since my connection with the University, a numb er of new boxes have been bought, most of the insects referr ed to their various families, and in

a few insta nc es, those of a family have received their generic and specific labels A.beginnin g has also been made on a biologic collection, some­thing the late Dr Lintner had been laboring to bring about for years

a Th e d eath of Dr Li n tn er at the t ime t he ra th r e o rt w a s issued , deterred many f om

ackn owl edg ing i ts rec eipt, t hus r edu ci n g the number o f e tte rs r eceiv ed: The ca rds accompa nyi n g­

t h e r epo rts were co un ted, as previo us ly , he nce the d isc repa n cy betwee n t h e l etter s r ece ive d and

156 NEVl ~iORK STATE 11USEUl\1

The accommodations provided for the collection are far from adequate During the past 18 years a vast amount of material has been accumulat­ing, and when properly 'worked up, will be found a TIline of information The state collection needs more room At present, part is in wooden trays with glass tops and part in pasteboard boxes A first class box or tray should be decided on and then the whole collection overhauled, classified and rendered accessible to the public At present the speci­mens are threatened with injury on account of dampness, the result of a leaky roof, or they n1ay be destroyed by museum pests, as none of the trays or boxes are as tight as they should be The work on the biologic collection should be pushed, special attention being paid to the forms of economic importance, An exhibit of this character would prove a most important educational factor, and would be of the greatest practical value

to all in the vicinity If, in addition to this, some plan were devised whereby small biologic collections could be prepared and either tempo­rarily lent to granges or other organizations interested in the advance­ment of applied science or placed on exhibition at farmers' institutes, fairs and other gatherings, specially if in charge of one competent to expla.inthe salient points in the life history of the various forms, a moderate outlay would not only advance the agricultural interests of the state, but would also bring the office into closer touch with those whom it is designed to serve

The private collection belonging to the late incumbent is still in the office and would be an invaluable addition to the state collection, con­taining, as it does, many rare and unique forms,

Division library To obtain the best results, it is absolutely neces­sary to have a good library at hand During his tenure of office, the late Dr Lintner depended for reference very largely on his private library, a collection of books and papers that has few, if any) equals, so far as economic entomology is concerned Many of the books are rare, and several of the sets of serial publications are supplementary to those belonging to the state If possible, it should be bought for this division

] A Lintner In the death of Joseph Albert Lintner, Ph D., the state sustained a great loss and the science of economic entomology was called on to mourn a leader It is hoped that the grand work begun

by him I8 years ago will be carried on, and that the practical side of the science will ever be kept in mind

Acknowledgments A..t this time I wish to acknowledge the many favors and courtesies received at the hands of Dr I.J O Howard, chief

of the division of entomology at Washington, and his associates Every

REPOR T OF ST ATE E N TO MOLO GIS T , 189 8 1 57 request, either for the name of an insect or for further information regarding

it, has been promptly honored The advanta ge of such a central bureau, where a number of specialists are cons tantly working on certain orders or families, can be appre ciat ed only by those who have some conception of the immense number of insects and of the utter imp ossibility of identifi­cation of all the varied forms by one person In concl usion, I wish to

expr ess my appreciation of the opp ortunities afforded me by the regents during the past few mo ths, and for the su po rt that has been given my

every effor t to render this office of great er practical value

Respectfully submitted

EPH RAI M P ORTER FELT

Ac ting s tate ent omologist

158 NE\tV YORK STATE MUSEUM

INJURIOUS INSECTS

BYTURUS UNICOLOR Say

Pale brown Byturus

Ord Coleoptera: Fam Dermestidae

A number of examples of this small beetle were brought to me May

23, by Dr C H Peck, state botanist, 'with the information that from one to five or more were to be found in the opening buds of his rasp­berry plants A little later he informed me that his bushes had been injured to a considerable extent by the work of this species The attack

is of considerable interest, as there is no record of its having proved injurious since 1870, when Dr Fitch noticed briefly the work of its larvae upon the fruit Lack of record by no means indicates its absence; on the contrary it is more probable that considerable of the unknown injury

to raspberry plants, indicated by failure to bear well, has been caused by the work of this insect

Injuries and distribution The beetles not only eat into the fruit buds of the plant, thereby destroying the berry at its inception, but, according to Dr Packard, may also eat long strips in the leaves Dr Fitch states that the white larvae of the insect' are very common on the fruit throughout the country, their presence rendering the berries unfit for food The earliest injuries known are those in Massachusetts and New York in 1870, the former by the beetles to the leaves and fruit buds and the latter by the larvae to the fruit itself In 1873, William Saunders reported this species as very destructive to the blossoms, presumably in the vicinity of Ottawa, Canada At Lansing, Mich., much damage was inflicted on raspberry blossoms by this or a closely allied species in r885, according to Prof C P Gillette The beetles were again destructive in Canada in 1887, appearing in numbers and doing considerable damage to the buds and flowers (Fletcher} In her

r gth report for the year 1893, Miss Ormerod records serious and wide­spread injuries to raspberries in England by the closely allied Byturus

tomentasus, The damage done in England may be taken as an indica­tion of the injury that our American form may possibly inflict Besides feeding on the raspberry, B unicolor was observed by Prof Webster eat­

ing out the blossom buds of a species of Geum, either" rivale or album

R EP ORT OF ST ATE E NTOMOLOGIST, 1898 159

LeConte and Horn (see citation) state that but one species, obviously

B un icoiar, occurs in the Atlantic district The present record indicates that it is pretty well distributed over the eastern United States and extends north into Canada

Description T he beetles are about t inch long, subcylindric, and

of a pale reddish br own color With a lens , the dense, rather long, pale, tawny hairs covering the entire upper surface are easily distin­guished; the vestiture of the under surface is shorter

The larva has been described by Dr Fitch as follows :

When examined with a magnifying glass , these worms are found to be plump and cylindric, slight ly tapered at each end, and nearlyt inch

in length when fully grown They are white, each segment having on the back a broad, pale, tawny yellow band occupying more than half its surface, and being also furnished with a few short, erect , whitish hairs The mouth is darker, tawny yellow On the breast are three pairs of legs, but none on the body back of these, except at the tip, which is prolon ged into a single proleg of a short conic form, and blunt at its end; and on the apex of the last segment, above the base of the proleg, are two minute proj ecting points, appearin g like two deep red dots

Life history The beetles occur on the raspberries the latter part of

May, and in Massachusetts till after the middle of June, as stated by

Dr Packard The eggs are probably laid on the developing fruit, as is recorded by Miss Ormerod of the related B t omen t o sus The following notes on its life history are based on records by Dr Fitch The larvae

are usually found lying on the inner side of the cup or cavity in the berry When full grown they drop to the ground or fall with the fruit and transform to pale, dull, yellowish pupae under leaves or other rub­bish, where they remain till the following May Miss Ormerod states that B tam entasus pupates under the sheltering bark of the raspberry or

in some similar place It is possible that our species also pupates to some extent on the canes

Remedies The beetles can probably be controlled by spraying with an arsenite Hand pickin g or beating them from the bushes into pans containing water and a lt tle kerosene, has also been recommended

The latter will be more effecti ve if don e in the cooler part of the day, as the beetles will be less likely to take flight There are no effective

means of dealing with the larvae If the insect becomes numerous in a patch, it might be advisable to burn all the trimmings and rubbish, in order to destroy as many of the hibernating individ uals as possible

160 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

Bibliography Say, Thomas Academy of natural sciences of Philadelphia

J ournal 1823 3 : 197" (original description) ; the same in his complete writings 1883 2 : 126

Packard, A S Guide to the study of insects 1869 p 448 (mention) ; Injurious insects, new and little known Mar, 1070

p 12, 13, pI I, fig 12 (injuries to raspberries)

Fitch, Asa N Y State agricultural society Transactions 1870'

1872 30 : 358-360 (brief account of its injuries)

Saunders, William Entomological society of Ontario Report 1873' 1874 p 10, I I (brief general account) ; Insects injurious to fruits

1883 1889 p 310, 311, fig 322 (brief account)

Jayne, H F American philosophical society Proceedings 1883'

20 :345,346, pl I, fig 1-4 (description)

LeConte, J L & Horn, G H Classification of the coleoptera of North America 1883 p 141 (distribution)

Gillette, C P Rural New Yorker 1885 44:561 (injuries by this

or a closely allied species)

Fletcher, James Central experimental farm (Canada) Report of entomologist and botanist 1887 Separate p 3l, fig 21 (injuries and remedies)

Smith, J B Catalogue of the insects of New Jersey 1890' p 143 (generally distributed) ; Economic entomology 1896 p 180, fig 159 (brief notice)

Lintner, J A Insects of New York 8th Report 1893 p 298 (injuring raspberry leaves and buds at New Haven, Ct.)

Webster, F M Ohio Agricultural experiment station Bulletin

45 1893 p 189, 190 (brief general account); Insect life 1894 7:2°4 (feeding on G eum)

Comstock, J H & A B Manual for the study of insects 1895

p 541, fig 649 (brief notice)

Chittenden, F H U S Dcp't agriculture, Division entomology Bulletin 8 (new series) 1897 p 14 (mention)

TRYPETA CANADENSIS Lo ew Gooseberry frui: fly

Ord Diptera : Fam Trypetidae The small maggot of the gooseberry midge, Cecitlomyia grossuiar iae

Fitch, has long been known to breed in currants and gooseberries, thus destroying the fruit .This insect and its destructive work was described

R E PO RT O F ST A T E E NTO MO LOGI ST , 1898 161

and commented upon by Dr Fitch in 1854 It is only in later years , however, that the maggot of anot her species of fly was detected injuring the fruit of these plants in a very similar manner, and it is possible that its work in earlier years was con founded with that of the gooseberry midge

Operations in New York state The work of this insect was first brought to the notice of Dr Lintner by Mrs H D Graves, of Ausable Forks, N Y., in May 1890, when the trouble was so serious in her locality that some neighbors destroye d their currant bushes on account

of the num erous maggots infestin g the fruit Both the white and red varieties were attacked Again, in 1894, Mr J G Collett, of Camden,

N Y., wrote that nearly all of his gooseberries fell off every year before they were fully matured , owing to the presenc e of ' a small white worm

or maggot just under the skin.' This attack could be referred to no other than the above-named species With such a record in the two places where this insect has esta blished itself in this state, it bids fair to

be as serious an enemy to the currant and gooseberry as is the closely related apple maggot, Try peta jomo1lella, to the apple Its injuries in other local ities where it has been found are so great that it may well be classed as a dangerou s insect pest

Distribution This insect has been recorded from but a few widely separated localities, and is most probably a nati ve form It was origi­nally described from Maine or Canada Prof Gillette found it abundan t

in Colorado; it was sent to the U S Department of agricult ure from West Ferndale, Wash.; it has been reported recently as abundant in that state and Dr Fletcher has long known of injuries to black cur­rants in British Columbia by what is most pr oba bly this insect In New York state it has been very abundant in two localities distant from each other and may be more generally distributed throughout the state than

is supposed

Life history The following account of the life history and habits of this fly is a resume of the detailed paper on it by Prof Harvey (see cita­tion), which should be consulted for farther information The flies were first obser ved by him in nature about June I, though punctures

on the fruit at that time indicated an earlier appearance There is but one generation annually The imag oes were most abundant June 9-15, all havin g disapp eared by the 25th The eggs are deposited singly, the female requiring about five minutes for the insertion of each just beneath the skin of the fruit , where the y may easily be seen a little to one side of

162 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

areola They are deposited most largely in the earliest berries to appear,

young larva works its way along under the skin of the berry, usually leaving a trail, for perhaps a third or half of the circumference, and then

refuge and may then be found lying between the seeds and feeding upon

Later, the infested currants show a clouded appearance on the side,

drop, often before the larvae have matured, but occasionally the currants

on the bushes show the exit hole cut by the matured larva in its escape

larvae pupate either in the soil or under some convenient shelter on the surface during the latter part of June or early in July, the fly appear­ing the following spring

insect are the destruction of the infested fruit with the contained insect

or killing it while still in the ground The must practical method of controlling this species is, in most cases, to allow chickens to run among

" the bushes, as they will devour much of the infested fruit Ifthe ground

will be destroyed in this manner Another remedy that promises to

with the pupae This treatment should be as fatal to this insect as it has proved in the case of white grubs in the soil

R E P ORT OF S T AT E E NT O MOL OGIST, 1898 163 Gillette, C P Col Agricultural experiment station Bulletin 19

1892 p 18-20, fig 9 (brief account)

Riley, C V & Howard, L O Insect life 1892• 4: 355 (mention)

Snow , W A Kans as univer sity quarterly 1894 2: 159 (from Maine, as E pochra)

Harvey, F L Me Agricultural experiment station Report

1895 1896 p 111-24, fig 7a, pI 1, 2 (extended account, as

Ep ochra); the same in separ ate, p 1-14 ; Me Agricultural experiment station 13th Report 1897 1898 p 176 (more ab unda nt than usual)

Doane, R W Entomological news r898 9: 72 (abundant in Washington state, as E p ochra)

NOTOLOPHUS LEUCOSTI G l\IA Sm.- A.bb

T he whi t~-marked t ussock motlt

Ord Lepidoptera: Fam Lymantriidae

The destructiven ess of this pest has been so marked and widespread

.in cities and towns, and inquiries for remedies so numerous, that in spite

of the fact that it is, or should be, a well-known insect, it is deemed desirable to notice this sp ecies at some len gth Though very injurious,

it is controlled with comp arati ve ease, and this should be kept before the public, even at the cost of some repetition

Ravages in 1898 This insect has proved a seriou s pest in a number of cities within the stat e In Albany, most of the horseche st­nuts would have been completely defoliate d had it not been for the

spraying undertaken by the municip al authorities As it was, a large number were seriously injured, owing to the late application of the poison or to inability to throw the spray to the tops of the larger trees The leaves were nearl y stripped from the lindens, and the numerous white egg clusters give prom iseof greaterinjuryanother year,unless protecti ve measures are adopted In parts of Troy this insect was even more destructive than in Albany Rep ort s of serious rava ges have been received from other localities Its cocoons were reported by Chester Young, nursery inspector for the state department of agriculture, as abundant on all kinds of trees at Woodside, L 1., which may well be regarded as an indication of extended injuries already sustained and a

sign of worse to come In Buffalo, this insect has become such a pest that the authorities have been stirred to acti on A circular has been issued by the board of public work s calling upon the citizens to collect and destroy the egg clusters,-and giving directions for the same and also

164 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM

for spraying in the spring It is expected that this call will be supple­mented by the city fighting the pest where it is impossible for land hold­ers to accomplish the desired object

Injuries to fruit trees In earlier years this was regarded as a very serious enemy of the apple-tree in Ontario, for Rev C J S Bethune, writing in r87 I, stated that it was a bad pest, and that in the western states it had defoliated some orchards and even attacked the fruit In his second report, Dr Lintner records several instances of severe injuries

to fruit trees by this species Serious depredations have also been reported by Mr Lowe, entomologist of the agricultural experiment station

at Geneva In 1895 he received many complaints, specially from Yates and Ontario counties, the larvae not only devouring the foliage, but attacking the fruit In the report of the station for that year, he writes that one fruit grower estimated the loss on his apple crop at 25%

City pest Though this insect occurs in the country and occa­sionally is quite destructive to fruit and other trees, it is in the cities and towns that it flourishes and proves most injurious The cause for this is found largely in the protection afforded by the English sparrow, which not only fails to feed upon it, but drives away native birds that would

A curious instance of the survival of the fittest and the danger of import­ing some natural enemy for the purpose of keeping in check an injurious insect, is shown by Dr J L LeConte (see citation), who instances the extermination of Ennamos subsignarius Hiibn in Philadelphia by this

imported bird After the destruction of E7Z710mOS, the larvae of Nolo­

tophus found abundant food and, being unmolested by the sparrows on

accountof their irritating hairs, they soon became an even worse pest than the former species

Description A casual observer may have his attention arrested

by an unusually pretty caterpillar with a coral red head, a pair of long black plumes just over it, a single one at the opposite extrem­ity of the body, four delicate yellowish or white brush-like tufts on its back and just behind them, separated only by a segment, two small, retractile, red elevations Along the back, except for the tubercles and tufts, there is a broad black band bordered by yellowish subdorsal stripes Each side is dark gray, except the yellowish tubercles A black line indicates the position of the spiracles or breathing pores, and below this latter line it is yellow, the legs being paler (fig I, a) This gives the general appearance of the caterpillar after it has become half or two­thirds grown, and at a time when its depredations begin to be apparent

R E P ORT OF ST AT E E NT O M O L OGI ST , 18 98 165 The recently hatch ed larva is a pale yellowish or whitish creature with long, irregular hairs., As it feeds, increases in size, and casts its skin from time to time, one after the other of the cha rac teristics of the full

grown larva is assumed

Fig I NOTOLOPH US L EU COST IGMA a larva ; b, fem ale pu pa ; c ma le p upa ; d, e , m ale mot h;

f , fe ma l e m oth ; £, s ame o ipositing : It , egg m as s ; i, mal e cocoo ns ; k, fe male co coons, w ith

m oths l a y i n g e gg s-a ll s lightly enl arged ( a f ter H owa r d [D i v ision ent om ol ogy], U , , Dep 't agricultur e , y ear b ook, , QS )

When maturity is reached, the larvae spin their thin cocoons in the crevices of the bark (fig I, i ), interweaving their long hairs, and within this shelter transform to yellowish white pupae more or less shaded with dark brown or black (fig, I, b, c)

The difference between the sexes in the adult stage is strikingly shown

by comparing in figure I, d and e, illustrations of the male, with j, that

of th e female The former is a beautiful moth with large feathery anten­nae, the legs tufted, and th e wings and body delicately marked with

166 NEW Y O RK S TA T E MUSEU M

several shades of gray and grayish white On the other hand, the female is a nearly uniform gray, with simple antennae, and but rudi­mentary win gs

The eggs are deposited on th e empty cocoon under conspicuo us white

tive protection The indiv idu al egg is nearl y spherical, about 1 0 mm

in diam eter, white or yello wish white, and with a light brown spot sur­rounded by a ring of the same color

Life history The winter is passed in the egg, the young emerging about the latter part of May in this latitude In his studies of this insect, Dr Riley observed that the larvae molt ed seven days after hatch­

ing, and thereafter every six days till mature, males being produced

from those that passed throu gh but four stages and females from those

June and early in July In Albany most of the larvae had pupated by July 7 of the present year, and som e recently deposited egg masses were

to be seen In New York city the eggs began to hatch May 25, 1883,

and the larvae to pupate about June 2 I , according to Clarkson (see cita­

till numerous egg clusters indicate that most have already completed the round of life

From IO to IS days are passed in the pupa state At the end of this

takes place, and immediately afterwards deposition of the eggs begins,

as stated by Dr Howard They are laid in a mass as described above,

the eggs of a cluster rangin g in number from I OO to 500, as given by

several "wri ters In what appeared to be a good sized mass collected in Albany, there were 330 eggs After her full complement has been dis­charged, the female dies and usually drops to the groun d In Albany

th ere is normall y one annual generation , but in New York city and vicinityandin Boston , Mass.,thereare two broods ,whi le atWashington,

D C., there are two and probably three broods each year, according to

Dr Howard

;: Habits of the species The young larvae feed upon the under sur­face of th e folia ge, and as they increase in size more and more holes are eaten, till, when full grown, all but the main ribs of the leaves are

REP ORT O F ST ATE E NT O M OLOGI ST, 1898 167

by others outside of Albany , is the girdling of elm twigs by the larvae

of this insect This is caused by their eating a portion of the bark

affected tips soon die, break off, and fall in numbers to the ground The larvae drop from the trees read ily, specially when young, suspending themselves by silken threads, and then may be blown or carried consid­erable distances When nearly full grown , the caterpillars travel to a great extent, this is said to be specially true of the larger ones, females, and more likely to occur if they are very abundant At such times there may be quite a migration to other trees The cocoons are found very generally on the trunks and particularly on the under side of the larger branches The wingl ess females , at the time they emerge from their cocoons, attract large numbers of the opposite sex Dr Lintner records

an instance of on e attracting IOO males within an hour Collections at electric lights in Poughkeepsie, N Y., by Dr Dyar, show that the males fly during July and into August

Food plants Though thi s insect is commonly destructive to com­paratively few trees, it has been recorded as feeding on a number of plants, as the following list will show: Linden, " geranium (Pelar gonium),

"grape, horsechestnut, buckeye, maples (specially the soft and Norway), box elder, honey locust, apricot, garden plum, wild plum (Prunus

castor-oil plant, elm (several species), hackberry (C eltis), sycamore or buttonwood, butternut, black walnut, hickory, oak, birch, alder, willow, poplar, spruce, fir, larch and cypress Though Dr Howard excludes conifers from the food plants of this insect, the species mentioned above are given o~ the authority of records by earlier writers It is probable that farther observation would lead to a much greater extension of this list, and certain ones might have to be thrown out on account of the larvae eating them only under most exceptional circumstances

Distribution This native species 'ranges from Jacksonville, Fla.,

to Nova Scotia on the eastern coast and extends west certainly as far as Keokuk, Ia., and probably farther.' (Howard b ) It has been recorded

citation) reports the same from Oregon

Other forms of N otolophus There are several other species in the country belonging to this genus, one of which, N dejinita Packard,

a Not pre v iou sly rec or d ed to my knowledge

168 N E W Y O R K STATE MUSEUM

has long been confused with N l eucosll:~ma As an aid to the ready identification of these interestin g lar vae, the following table by Dr Dyar,

is reproduced :

Synopsis o f the lar vae of N ot olophus

Head yellow, colors in general pale , _ deji nita

Head red

A distin ct yellow subdorsal band _ leuc ostig ma

Gray marks predo minate, the yellow band not notice­

Head black

Warts crimson, brush-like tufts dark along the crest ,

the yello w lines along the sides broken into spots

One black tuft in young larva _ _ _ , u etu sta

Two black tufts in young larva _ _ _ _ var ca na

Warts orange, brush tufts unicoiorous, yellow or

white, side lines usually continu ous

A lateral black hair-pencil from joint 6 , a !lliqua

N a lat eral black pen cil val' b adia

Natural enemies Ifthe exp erience of later years is any criterion , certain native birds may well be regarded as most effective natural

Fig : pr M Pt ~ A I N QUI SIT OR : i'E, full-g row n s u mme r la r va ; P , hib er na ting larva ; c, mouth-parts of

la rva; d, adult female ; e, abdo men of a du lt m al e f rom si de-all en larged ; c, grea tl y e nlarged

(after Howard : U S De p ' t ag ric ult ure, D ivis ion e nto mology Te ch s er n o 5 , 897)

checks upon this species The following are those named by Dr Lintner

as feeding upon the caterpillars of this pest : The robin, M erula migra­ toria Linn., the Baltimore oriole, I cterus g albuia Linn., the black-billed

R EPO RT O F S TA T E EN TOM OL OG I ST, 1898 169

cuckoo, C occy z us ely tht opthalm us Wils., and the yellow-billed cuckoo,

Co a y zus americanu s Linn It will be found true as a rule, that in cities where these bird s are absent or hav e been driven out by the English sparrows, this pest flourishes, while in the country, where the native birds are more abundant, this insect is rarely injurious

The insect parasites of this species are extremely valuable allies and should be encouraged in every practical manner The recent extensive studies of thes e by Dr L O Howard (see citation), have made valuable and very mater ialadditionsto ourknowledgeof these interesting forms He has shown that in Washingt on , D c , P i mpla inquisit or Say and Chalcis ovata Say (fig 2, 3) are the two species most effective in controlling this pest, and that lar ge numbers of the former insect hibernate as larvae within th e cocoons of the host, while in no instance was the latter para­site reared from coco ons of No tol ophus taken the prev ious winter He

Fig 3 : CH A LCl S O AT A: tl, pupa ; b , ara sit i z ed pup a o f Nototop/ws; c , du lt ; d o u tlin e of same

fro m s i de; e , pupa l e xu v i um - e nlarged (af t er Howa r d : U S De p' t a griculture, D ivi sion

entom olo gy T ech s er , n o 5 , , 897),

has also shown that when hymen opt erous par asites are comparatively scarce, certain tachinids may destroy large numbers of this pest, the more important being Ta china mella Walk , Frontina jrene/lii Will and E uphorocera clarip emzi s Macq, Besides those mentioned above,

Dr Howard gives the following as primar y parasites of this species:

Pimp la conquis itor Say, Pimp la am llllipe s Say, A morp hata or gyiae How.,

Meteorus commu nis Cres., M eteorus hyplzall triae Riley, Lim neria sp.,

L imneria v alida Cres., Thl'ronia jul vescens Brulle, Apantdes delz'catus

1 70 NEW YO RK STATE MU S EUM

How., Apanteles h yp halltriae R iley, A pantele s pa ror g)'iae Ash m., P tera­

m alus cuproidens How., C ratotechus orgyiae Fit ch , Telenolll us or g ) 'ia e

Fitch , Fronti ua alet ia« Ri ley, E xorista g riseomicans V v V an d JlV ilI ­

tl zemia 4-just lflata Fabr At Wash ingto n these parasites became so

abu nd ant that in the autumn of 1895 abo ut 9 oJO' of the larvae were

destroyed In addi tion tothe abovenamed par asite s, Dr Howard records

that Ic/ utenmon sub cyaneus Cres., Ichneumoll coeruieu s Cres and A /locota

t hy rido p terz : t; i s Riley were all observ ed investigating recently formed

l llotolophu s cocoons and were apparently about to oviposit The latt er,

he states, is parasitic upon Pimpla

In his stud y of these parasites, Dr Howard found that the conditions were not uniform in all parts of the city of Wash in gton, the parasitism

being mor e general in the vicinity of the grounds of the Depa rtment of agriculture, where most of the obs ervations were made , than in other

portions of the city The differenc e due to locality is also sho wn by the

' a parasites in the stat e collect ion reared by the late Dr Lintner from this

species, though his study of them was by no means so extensive as that

at Wa shington The one occurring most abunda n tly was Tach ina mel/ a

Walk Pi mp/a h irticauda Prov., a species not hithert o recorded from this insect , was bre d in greater numbers than any other of the lar ger

hymen opterous parasites Most of the individuals belonging to this species were reared in July, but two appearing in June and a few o ther~

in Au gust P imp la inqui sitor Say, P cou quisito r Say and P allnulip es

Brulle occurre d in abou t equal numbers Of the smaller primary para­

sites, Pt eromatus cuproideus How and an unnamed species belonging to the

same genus were about equally abundan t

Though the list of primary parasit es is long and includes some very import ant species, many of thes e are in turn the victims of enemies The parasi tes breeding in tho se which prey upon injurious forms must be classed as enemies to man, since they protect a species indirectly by destroying large numbers of its parasites One of the most abundant of the hyperparasites rear ed by Dr H oward at Washington was D ibrachys

b oucheanu s Rat z (fig 4), it bein g present in such force as to almost kill

off P impla i nquis itor the latter part of 1896 This speci es was also reared

in large numbers by Dr Lin tner in 1883 It is in turn , as demonstrated

by Dr Howard, preyed upon by As ecade s albi tarsis Ash m The follow­ing is a list of the hyperpar asites of Notolophus leu co stigma, as given by

Dr Howard : He mitel«: t ow l/sm di Ashm., Bath ythrix met eori H ow.,

REPO RT O F STATE E NTOM OLO GIST, I898

Batlrythr ix pimpl ae How., A di s t o la a mer i cana H ow., Ota custes pe riliti

Ashm., Ha brocytus tlryrid {Jpter~s is Ashm., P ezo mac!ws i nsoiit us How.,

Sp ilocJzalcis deb ilis Say, E upelm lt s l illlJleria e H ow., Dibrachy s battchean us

Ratz., E lachistus ca coeciae How., E lasmus a tratus How., Sy ntoJllosphy­

rum e surus Riley and A s e code s a lbitarsis Ashm

A number of scavengers were reared by Dr H oward from the pupae

or masses of cocoons The list is as follows : H elicobia h elicis Towns

o f l ar va; e ant en na of ad ult -s till m or e en la rged ( afte r H o w ar d : U S D ep't ag ricultu re, D i­

si on en to m o logy T e h s er n o 5 , 897) ,

Sar cophaga species, P hora nigricep s Loew, P hora ind snraiis Leow, Ph ora

fas ciata Fall., P hora a garici Lintn., L imosiua s pecies, H OlllaloJll) ' ia sca la­

ris Fabr., Ga urax anc/i ora Loew , N e o glap l z y r o p tera b ivittata Say and

D iplosis speci es This and the preceding lists illustrate in a remarkable degree'the large numberof form sthat may depend more or less upon one species, and afford interesting examples of the relations that may exist between various insects

In addition to these, a Eulophid was reared in some numbers from the cocoons of Not olop lm s by Dr Lintner in 1883 and 1884 A der­

mestid beetle, P eriJlle gat oma varieg atum Horn, has been recorded in

Insect life as a very effective destroyer of the eggs of Not olophus in California The wheel bug, P r io nodus c ristatus Linn., is said to prey upon the larvae in the southern sta tes The present season a mite, a

sp ecies of n: Rlz Y Jlcholop ll/ts, was observed eati ng the contents of many eggs

172 NEvV YORK STATE MUSEUM

Remedies The simplest and most satisfactory remedy is found in gathering and destroying the egg masses As the eggs are in a compact mass which is readily torn from the supporting cocoon, either by hand

or some form of a scraper, the task is easily and quickly performed Dr Howard has recommended the use of creosote oil for the destruction of the eggs, since each mass has only to be moistened 'with the substance

In winter it is necessary to add some turpentine in order to keep the creosote liquid On account of the female being wingless, a tree once thoroughly cleaned 'will not become reinfested very soon if larvae are not abundant nearby, and even then a band of loose cotton bound tightly around the trunk 'will prevent their ascending and a consequent reinfestation It should be kept in mind that only the eggs must be collected or destroyed, on account of the beneficial parasites which may occur in cocoons not bearing egg masses, This is specially true in the autumn and applies to a certain extent in the spring, since it has been shown that some parasites hibernate as larvae within the cocoons of the host, and if these are collected and destroyed, it means the death of many beneficial forms The egg masses are more readily seen after the leaves have fallen and in localities like Albany, where one annual gen­eration is the rule, the gathering of the eggs may wen be deferred till autumn In the case of Boston, N ew Yark city and more southern localities, it rnay be necessary to collect in midsummer those laid by the first brood of moths

In case it is impracticable to collect the eggs, dependence must be placed upon spraying with some arsenical compound, This is satisfac­tory if properly done early in the season under favorable conditions

In many instances there will be more or less delay and in practice it is very difficult to have the spraying properly done, and then there may be hindrances incident to several days or a week of rain at the time the poison should be applied

Nat a few wait till the trees show signs of serious injury and then ask for some means of stopping the ravages Resort may be had to spraying with a larger proportion of poison in order to kill the larvae quickly or they may be shaken from the limbs, provided the tree is not too large The latter means will give a certain amount of relief where practicable an d may be made more effective by the use of cotton bands

to prevent the ascent of those shaken from the tree

REP ORT OF ST AT E E NTO MOLOGIST, 1898 173

Bibliography-Sm it h , J E & Abbott, Joh n Natural historyof the rarerlepidop­

terous insects of Georgia 1797 p 157, I 79 (original description)

E m m ons, Ebenezer Natural history of New York Agriculture

1854 p 23°,231, pl 37, fig I, , V , c , f (mention)

F itch , Asa Cultivator 1856 4: 154-56 (exte nded account);

Insects of New York rst-cd Repo r t 1856 p 2°9-20 (general

account); the same in Tra nsacti ons New York sta te agricultural society

1855 1856 IS: 441-52; - 1856 16: 338 (mention) ; the same in

Insects of New York 3d- 5th Report 1859' paragraph 32, p 20;

New York state agricultural society Transa ctions 1862 1863

22: 675 (mention); the same in Insects of New York 8th Report

1863 p 193·

Morris , J G Catalogue of the described lepidoptera of North

America 1860 p 23 (listed ) ; Synopsis of the lepidoptera of North

America 1862 p 249 (description)

Ha r ris, T W Insects injurious to vegetation 3d ed 1862

p.366-69,pI 7, fig 1-5 (generalnotice) ; Entomologicalcorrespondence

1869 p 291 (mention)

Walsh, B D Practi cal ento mologis t 1865 I :46 (brief notice)

Walsh, B D & Riley, C V American entomologist 1868

I : 79, fig 67 (brief account) , 1869' p 120, 186, 252 (identified)

P ackard, A S Guide to the study of insects 1869' p 288

(mention ); U S Entomolog ical commission 5th Report 1890'

p 217,262-65,336, 342, 373, 636, 656, 862, 863, 892, fig 102, 103,

294, 295 (brief notice, food plants)

Riley, C V Insects of Missouri i st Report 1869' p 144-47,

fig 81 -83 (general account); American entomologist and botanist

1870' 2: 181 (identified), p 306, fig 186 (no tice) ; American natural­

ist 18 73 7: 516,517 (molts of male and female larvae); Entomolo­

gist's monthly magazine 1887 23: 274 (variable molting) ; U S

Dep't agriculture, Division entomolog y Bulletin 10 1887 p 29-33 ,

fig 13-33 (general account); - Bulletin 31 1893' p 17 (listed on

apple)

Bethu ne, C J S Entomological society of Ontario Report

I87! 18 72 p 14, IS, figs 3-5 (sever e injuries to apple-trees, brief

general account)

Le B a r o n , William Insects of Illinois 1St Report 1871 p 13­

17, 86, 2 figs (brief account, parasites)

Rathvo n , S S Pa State agricul ural society Report 1871 p

566, fig 28-31 (inj uring apple-t rees)

Saunders', W illi a m Canadian entomologist 1871 3: 14, IS,

fig 10 (eggs described); Entomological society of Ontario Report

1874 1875 P' 19-21, fig 14-16 (brief general account); Canadian

entomologist I883 IS: 186 (abundance in Canada); same in Report

a Pre v iously thi s i nse ct h as been ve r y g enera ll y re ferred t o t he genus Orgyi a

174 NEW YORK ST ATE MUSEUM

en tomolog ical society of On tario 1883 1884 p II ; Insect s inju ri­ous to fruits [883 1889 p 57-60, fig 50- 53 (general account) LeConte, J L Popul ar science monthly 1874 4: 38r (Orgyi a

replacing E ll Il O!JZOS in Phila delphi a) ; American association for the

advan ceme nt of scien ce Proceedings 1874 187 5 Part 2, :l3 : 44 (Or gy ia replacing E nnomas sttbsi gnarilts)

French, G H Insects of Illino is 7th Repo rt 1878 p 185, 186,

277,279 , 281, 282 , fig 36, 37 (briefaccount)

Coquillett, D W Insects of Illinois loth Report 1881 p 166,

fig 62 (larv a described) ; U S Dep't agricult ure, Divisio n entomology

Technical seri es no 7 1897 p 12, ra, [5, 16, 21, 22, 6 (dipterous

parasites ); - Bulle tin 10 (new serie s) 1898 p 7I (Gaura x anchora

reared from cocoons)

Marten, John Insects of Illinois lot h Repor t 1881 p rI 7, fig30,31 (mention}; Prairie farmer 1890' 62: 716, I fig (brief notice) Coleman, N Papilio 188 2 2:]64-66 (no tes on lifehistory) Lintner, J A Insects of NewYork rstReport 1882 p 33, 61

64, (r em edie s ), p 72 (re fere nce) , p 98 (a dd itiona l molt in fem ale ); N

Y St ate museum of natural histor y 37th Repo rt 1 8 1884 p 50-52 (girdling of elm twigs) ; - 38th Rep ort 1885 p 76 (not ice) ; Insec ts of New Yor k zd Rep or t 1885 p 6 -89 (exte nded account);

Coun tr y gen tl em an 1885 50: 623 (me ntio n) ; Insect s of New York

4th Report 1888 p 7 (mention), p IS (girdling young tips of elms),

p 48-5r (brief accoun t) ; Coun try gentlema n r888 53 :91[ (me n­tion); Insects of New York 5th Repor t r889' p 310, 321 (re fer­

ence), p 317 (me ntion) ; - 6th Report ]890 p 107, 8r (reference);

- 7th Report 1891 p 216,33 1 (referen ce); _ 8th Report r892

p 296 (from Yosemite valIey, CaL) ; - 9th Repo rt r89 2 p 295, 437 (mention ) , p 429 (on elm), p 450, 455 (reference); Insect life 1893

6:184 (mentio n) ; Albany institute Tra nsac tions 1893 12 : 229 (mention) ; Insect s of New York roth Report r894 p 48 1, 495 (reference) , p 515 (coco ons from South Byron, N Y.); Ameri can asso­ciation for the advan cement of science Proc eedings 1895 p 156 (girdling of elm twigs by larva e) j Albany evening jou rnal, 20 July,

1895 p 3, col 1 (refere nc e); Insects of New York r rth Report

1895 p 12r (brief menti on) , p r24-1 26 (girdling elm twigs) , p 264,

279(reference); American naturalist Januar y 1 9 30:74,75(gird ling elm twigs) ; Insec ts of New Yor k i ath Repo rt r8 6 p 34 7, 350, 357 (reference)

Clarkson, Frederick Canad ian entomologist r883 IS: r68, r69 (ravages in New York city,parasites) ; Ent om ological society ofOntario

14th Report 1883 r884 p 33 (same as precedin g)

Cooke, Matthew Inj uriou s inse c ts of the orc hard, vineyard r883'

p 87-89, fig 58-62 (brief notice)

Forbes, S A Insect sofIllin ois rath Report 1882 1883 p.roo,

101, fig 20 (brie f notice); - rath Report 1&84 r885' p 117 (men­

tion); -Appendix 17th Report 1891 p 8 (refere nc e)

Grote, A R Can ad ian entom olo gist 1883' IS: 235 (replacing

Ennom asy,

REPORT OF STATE ENT0110LOGIST, 1898 175 Weed, C M Mich State horticultural society r zth Report 1882

188 3 p 188, r89 (brief notice) ; Psyche 1888 5: 51,5 2 (PiJlZpla inqui­ sitor and P conqtrisizar reared); Ohio agricultural experiment station

9 t h Report 1890 r89I p 56,57, fig 3, 4 (brief notice); Insects and insectici.des 1891 p 133-135, :6g 65, 66 (brief account); N H Agri­cultural experiment station Bulletin 33 [895 p 3-6, fig 1, 2 (brief account)

Dimmock, A K Psyche 1885 4: 280 (on birch, bibliography);

- 188;::; 5: 29 (molts of larva)

Hulst, G D N J Agricultural experiment station Bulletin 46

1888 p 10 (mention); - 9th Report 1888 1889 p 204-6, fig I (brief account)

McMillan, Conway Neb Agricultural experiment station Bul­letin v I, no 2 1888 p 54-59, fig 25-2 7 (general account)

Riley, C V & Howard, L O Insect life 1888 I : 161 (Pi1Jzpla inquisitor reared); - 1890 2: 281 (parasite); - 1890' 3: 153, 462 (parasites reared); - 1892 4: 222 (a derrnestid attacking eggs), 259

(Apa1Zteles reared), 346 (Pt:rilllegaloJJza uariegauon an enemy); - 1893,

5 : 213 (mention)

Edwards, Henry U: S National 111useun1 Bulletin 35· 1889' p.63 (bibliography)

Perkins, G H Vt Agricultural experiment station 3d Report

188 9 1890 p IS0, fig 3-5 (brief notice); Vt State board agriculture

r r th Report 1890 Separate p 39-42 , fig 29-32 (brief account) Smith, J B Catalogue of the insects of New Jersey 189°·

p 294 (listed); N J Agricultural experiment station Report 1889 1890' p 308 (mention); - Bulletin 103 1894 p 12-1 4, fig 3, 4 (brief account) ; - Report 1894 1895 p 534-536, fig 28, 29 (brief account); - Bulletin I I I 1895 P.9 (raupenleiul or dendrolene for);

- Report 1895 1896 p 518 (same as preceding); Economic ento­mology 1895 P: 268-70 , fig 290, 291 (brief account)

Dyar, H G Insect life 1891 3: 390 (mention); Psyche 1891 '

6 : I I I , I 12, 127 ' (mention), [892 p 3 24, 325 (larval stages), 18 9 3 '

p 4 20,42 1 , 438 (larval characters); - 1896 7: 341,3+ 2 (larval char­acters)

Jack, ] G Garden and Forest 189r 4: r86 (mention); Mass Horticultural society Transactions Pte I 1894 p 144 (mention) Kent, G H Insect life 189I 3: 33 8 (mention)

Murtfeldt, M E U S Dep't Agriculture, Division entomology Bulletin 23 1891 p 50 (on Platanus)

Southwick, E B Insect life 1891 4: 59, 60 (remedies); ­

1894 7: 135 (remedies}; Garden and Forest r895· 8: 308 (remedies) Washburn, F L Or Agricultural experiment station Bulletin 14· I891 p 8,9 (common) ; -Bulletin 18.' 1892 • p 8, 9, fig 9 (mention) Kellogg, V L Common injurious insects of Kansas 1892 • P: 96,

97, fig 53 (brief gen eral notice)

176 N E W YORK STATE MUSEUM

Kirby, W F Synonymic catalog ue of Lepidoptera hetero cera

1892 p 495 (listed )

Cha mbliss, C E Tenn Agricultural experiment station Bulletin

v 6, no, 1 1893' P 14-16, fig -10 (b rief general account)

Slosson , A. T New York entomologic alsociety Journal 1893

I : 4, 151 (mention)

(popular account of rava ges in Chicago)

society Journ al 1894 2:30 (synonymy)

S li ngerlan d , M V Insect life 1894 7: 267, 268 (collecting egg masses at Roch est er) ; Corn ell agricultural experimen t sta tion Bulle tin

133 1897 p 255 ( Tli"illt!lcmia 4- p llstltla ta reared from)

Coleman , W. H Count ry gen tleman 1894 59:439 (co coonscol­

lected at Rochest er, N Y.) Comsto ck , ] H & A B Manu al for the study of insects 1895

p 3I O , 3 L fig 37 6, 377 (mention)

Low e ,V H Garden andfore st 1895 8: 314,315,fig.43 (injur ing apples) ; N Y Agricultural experiment stat ion rq.th Report 1895

1896 p 552, 553 (injuries in west ern New York)

Taft, L R & Dav is, G C Mich Agricultura l experiment stationBulletin 12I 1895 p 27 (mention)

Howard , L O U, S Dep't Agriculture, Division entomology

Bulletin 2 (ne w series) 1895 p 46, :,7 (injuries, etc.); U S lJep't Agriculture, Year book 1895 1896 p 368-375, fig 86-90 (gene ra l

I 15-17 (para -ires} : American associa tio n for th e adv ancement of science

Procee din gs 1897 46 :230 (mention); Entomological society of

I 1897 p 67 (Calos oma fr i gidu»: fed on larvae)

Comstock, ] H Insec t life 189 7 p 174, 175, fig 144, 145 (men tio n)

mot h 1897 p 56 iPodis«: p lacidus feeding on larva e) Beal, F E L U S Dep't agriculture, Division biological sur­

~ vey Bulletin 9 1898 p 13 (cuckoos feeding on)

Felt , E P Buffalo news, July 30, 1898 p 5 (reme dies}; th e

sa me in Commercial, times and inqu irer, Buffalo commercial, and Buffalo daily times of that date; Country gentleman 1898 63: 690 (ravages

in New York)

- - - - - -

177

REPOR T O F STATE EN TOM OLOGIS T , r898

Apple-tret tmt caterpilla r

Ord Lepidop tera: Fam L asio campidae

mologists and have been repeatedly published, yet, asid e from the occur­

cherry trees along the roadsides and in the neglected orchards of New

England were well-kn own features of the land sca pe during the spring

. ­- ­- - _ -­

F ig" 5 Wild c herry-t re e de foliated b y tent c ate rpill ars ( a ft er Weed, C M l

178 N EW YORK S T ATE MUS EUM

ing with the caterp illa rsof this insect, which haveissue dfrom the one to

2 0 or more nests on each of the hapless trees in the search for food

Though this species is easily con tro lled, as will be shown lat er, the

common practice is apparently to let the cat erpillars alone, trustin g that

natural agents will keep them in control

Extensive ravages during the past two years As a result of

allowing nature to have her course after the bala nce between the various

forms of life has been disturbed by man this insect causes more or less

dam age every year, and frequent ly commits extensive depredations The latter has been the case the last two seasons Complaints were

received from many localities of the abundance and destruc tiveness of

these caterpillars Not only were the native cherry-trees defoliat ed, but

apple orc hards suffered severely from the attacks of this insect, specially

in the western part of the sta te where many were stripped of their

leaves Mr S D Willard, of Geneva, N Y., informed me last

spring that tent caterpilla rs had c used him an unusual amount of

trouble, though he had kept close watch of them In some locali­ties the losses were increased by the ravages of the so-called forest

tent ca terpillar, Clisioc ampa diss tr ia Hubn., which was also abundant and 'in some counties excessively injurious The Weather crop bulletins issued

in May and early June of last year give some indication of the wide­

spread abund ance of this insect Such comments as : 'Apple-trees cov­ered with caterpillars ,' 'Caterpillars more numero us than ever before,'

'Caterp illars have ruined some orchards,' 'Many trees nea rly stripped by

worms,' and simila r expressions from widely separated localities may all

be referred to this insect with com parative certain ty, and indicate its

destru ctive ness in neglected orchards From Cambridge, N Y., came

the report last year tha t the place was simply overrun by the apple-tree

tent caterp illar In 1898 the Weathe r crop bullet ins contained the follow­

mg observations: 'Tent worms hatching out thick,' ' Tent worms

unusually numerous,' 'Ten.t worms very thick in places.' The,unusua l abundance of this familiar pest was paten t to anyone traveling in 1897

and 1898, the latt er part of Mayor early in June, either in this or some

of the adjacent sta tes In many portio ns of Massac husetts leafless trees

testifi ed to the work of this ene my, and in Vermo nt the same conditions

prevailed to a greate r or less exten t

Description Though the tent caterpillar is a very commo n

insect and familiar to almost everyone when found in its conspicuo us

white nests in the spring, many are unable to positively recognize the la rva ,

unless seen near its nest, few can id enti fy its egg belts, while a still smaller

number have any idea of the appearance of the parent moth

REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST , I898 179

The glistening brown egg belts encircling the smaller twigs of the tree are from -Po to -1; of an inch long Sometim es the mass of eggs does not completely embrace the twig, though usually there is a more or less narrow union on one side The ends of the egg mass curve gradually down to the twig, the outer eggs inclining and the outermost lying almost fiat, in order to permit this shape The normal egg mass,of this insect is so thickly covered with the glutinous secretion that the indio vidual eggs are invisible The young caterpillars are rarely observed till they have attained some size and their webs on the smaller limbs have become visible The full grown larvae and their characteristic tents are too well known to need description in connection with the accompanying figure The yellowish, oblong, oval cocoons with a loose

F ig 6 Tent caterpillars and ne st (a fter Riley),

texture are not generally recognized as being the product of the familiar tent caterpillar It will be noticed that when these cocoons are handled,

a yellow, sulphur-like powder sifts out This is the dried paste inter­mingled with the silk at the time the cocoon is spun The parent moth is buff-colored, with two parallel oblique white lines acro ss the fore wings The female is about one third larger than the male (see figure 7, a, c)

1 80 NEW YORK ST AT E M USEUM

A hermaphrod ite Bisexual or hermaphrod ite individuals are

among the rari ties in the insect world and such examples are highly prized by collec tors This specimen was mentioned by Dr Lintner in the transmitt al of his 7th Report as a very interesting rarity, and the

Fig 7 C LI S IOC A :'.fPA AM E RI C A:'I: A , a, male; 0 hermaphrodite; c , f emale (or ig in a l)

form (see fig 7, b) The left wings and antenna show so clearly the

necessa ry

Life history and habits The young are frequ entl y forme d within the eggs in the autumn, and only await warm weath er before coming

RE P O RT OF S T ATE EN TOMOLO GI ST, I 898 181

forth It has even be en sta ted by Mr H C Raymon d, of Iowa, that the eggs often hatch in the autu mn and that the vitality of the larvae enables them to winter successfully in tha t latitud e Accord ing to Riley, the eggs frequently hat ch during an early warm spell an d before there is

glutinous matter surrounding the eggs At first the nests are very small

and afford little protection to their inmat es, but as the caterpillars never

move without spinning a thread andfrequ ently crawl over their tents, the nests soon become much denser and afford considerabl e shelter from the weather Manyhaveprobablynoticedthatthe nests or tentsare composed

of a series oflayers ofsilk withjust about room eno ugh between for the

and stray individu als may be seen craw ling over their resting com­panions, spinning as they go, and at the same time beginnin g a new layer of silk Dr Fitch states that on damp or rainy days they remain

in their nests, but during fair weather they usually feed for a time in the

habits are subject to considerab le variat ion, being affected to a great extent by the weather As the larvae approa ch maturity, they forsake the nests and wande r singly in all direct ions, feeding on whateve r they can At this stage they will pupa te upon the slightest provocation More than once have I put a caterpilla r of this species in a box, only to find a

this time is undoubtedly a wise provision for their safety, for it insures their pupation in widely separ ated places and renders them less likely to

be destroyed Early in June the coco ons of this spec ies are spun on the trunks of the trees, on the under side of fence rails, under the eaves of buildings and in man y similar place s promi sing shelter An interesting deviation from the general habit the caterpillars have of each spinning a

who reported thatnumbersof individu al sspun lar geirregular cocoons in common, as many as seven or eight pupae being fo~nd crowded together

in one without any separati ng partiti ons ( Ins ect life 1895- 7 : 429), The caterpillars transform within the cocoons to brown pupae and remain in this state for about three weeks , acc ordin g to Fitch and Riley

Prof Slingerland, as a resul t of certain trap lantern experiments, re ords taking the moths from June 17 to July 18, at Ithaca , N Y., in 1889, the great majority being taken bet ween June and July 5

1 82 N EW YORK ST ATE MU S EUM

Poughk eepsie, N Y., from June 14 to July I 7 the larger number occur­

ring betw een June 2 and July 2

Food plant s The wild che rry, Pr tatus serotiua, is und oubt edly the

the cate rpillars, judgi ng from the severe attacks made upon it yearly

ap ple, mou ntain ash, witch hazel, elm, oak (probably several species)

serious injur y occasion ally Dr C M Weed; of Durham, N H , gives

illustrations of a sever e attac k on a birch and an oak in a recent bulletin

Distribution This inse ct appea rs to be generally distributed

C lis i ocamp a fragilis Stretch is given by Dr Dyar as the representative of

C merican a from the Rocky mou ntains to the Sierras and fro m Canada

to Mexico, and it in turn is repre sented in the Pacific northwest by C

jluv ialis Dyar

N atural enemies This species is att acked by a number of par asi­

tic and predac eo us insec ts and is also su jec t to a fung us disease, but in

Among the most import an t true paras ites may be menti on ed , P i mj l a

j edalis Cres., a species which Dr Fernald has bred in grea t numbers

from the cocoo ns It was so abu nda nt th at he obta ined only 25 moths

Say were reared from the pupae of this insect bY,Dr C M Weed

New J ersey and south to the Gulf of Mexico and has been record ed

from Canada He classes it as one of the most important parasites of the cotton-worm in the south, and as it preys on a number of injurio us

R E P ORT OF STA TE E N TOM OLOGIS T, I8 98 183 lepidopterous insects, it may well be regarded as a very beneficial form Another insect belong ing to the same genus, P amutl ipes Brulle, has

been recorded as a parasite of this spec ies, by Bruner In addition to P

p edalis , Dr Fern ald reared a few example s of Theronia m elano­

cl! phala Brulle from coco ns A varie ty of A panteles c ongrega tus, ru/o coxalis Riley, was bred from the larvae by Dr Lintner Dr Fitch reared from the coco ons a parasite to which he gave the name of

F ig 8 P I M P LA CO ~ Q U Isrro R : a, la rva; 0 h ead of s ame ; C 1 pupa ; d a dult fe male - a ll en larged

( af t er Ho ward: U S De p't ag ric ul tu re , Di vision e nto mo lo gy T ech ser, n o 5 )

Cle ony mus c lisiocampac , Dr H oward sta tes that Mr Ashmead has referred this species to the European D ibrachys b oucheallus Ratz , which is not a primary parasite, as Dr Fitch supposed his species to be

T elenomus c lisiocampa a Riley, has also been reared from th e eggs of this and another species of C lisio c amp a ( Insect l ife 189r 4: 123) But one parasitic fly Fr ontina fr e n chii Williston , has been reared from the tent cate rpillar, according to Coq uillett ,

A number of predaceous insects atta ck the lar vae Several species of large ground beetles are said to prey on the cat erpillars, among them bein g Calos oma scru tator Fabr As othe rs of the same genus attack

Ci isiocamp a ais stri a Htibn , it is probable thatthey would not discriminate between the larv ae of these closely relat ed forms Owing to the extend­

ed studies of Mr Kirkland, we kno w more fully the habits of the genus Podisus, sever al species of which attack the tent caterpillar The fol­

lowing have been observed preying on C american a: Podisus placidus

Uhler, P modest us Dallas, P serieuen tris Uhler, and Dip lodus Iuridus

184 NEW Y ORK STA TE MUSEUM

Stal As a rule, members of this genus are beneficial and should be protec ted, since they are mostly predaceous in habit Professor Bruner states that Podisu s spiu asus Dallas and Perillus c!audus Say prey upon the

Among the more efficient vertebra te enemies may be named the

American toad, though its feeding on this species is prac tically limited

bush, ornithologist of the Massachus etts board of agriculture In a

typical orchard in Medford , Mass., a litt le trouble was taken to att ract

destroyed The results were greatly in favor of protecting our indig­

enous forms In neighboring orchar ds it was evident that canker

artificial means The following is a list of the birds observed feedin g on

Aud ; chickadee, Pa ru s atricap ilius Linn.; oriole, Ic turus galbula Linn

red-ey ed vireo, Vireo olivaceu s Linn.; yellow-billed cuckoo, C occy z us

a mericanus Linn.; bla ck-billed cuckoo, Coccyzns t! ry throp tllalmus Wils ; chippin g sparrow, Spize!la socialis \ViIs.; yellow warbler, D endroica

ae stiua Gme! This list inclu des all th e species observed feedin g on the tent ca terpillar by earl ier writers

Prevent ive meas ures and remed ies It will not do to rely entirely on the good offices of nati ve birds for keeping this or other in­

attracting them to orchards Winter birds are induced to remain in the

vicinity of orcha rds by hanging in the trees pieces of meat or partially picked bones, and will spend much time in searching out and devouring

conditions are unfavorable for obtaining insect food Migratory bird s

may be induced to remain in larger numbers near orc hard s by provi din g

from cats and cruel boys Thickets in th e vicinity will afford shelter for

RE P O RT O F ST,\TE ENT01l10T.OGIS T , r898 1 85 certain species and if a few mulberry trees are set out the ir fruit will serve

to prote ct the che rries as the birds are said to eat the mulberries by preference Most of the preceding suggestions are take n from a ver y interesting and practical paper by Mr Forbush (see cita tion) His many years of experience and close observation of our birds entitle his writings to the highe st respect T here is much that can be said in favor

of protecting and enco ura ging our native birds and most farmers will find that a little effort along this line will be very profitable In under­taking any such work, it will not do to judge entirely by the results obtained in one season

As this species breeds from year to year in lar ge numbers on the wild

cherr y-tree s along the road sides, n fenc e corners and other uncultivated places, these trees should eith er be destroyed or else used as lures and heavily sprayed with poison early each spring in order to destroy the numerous caterpillars hatching from their abundant egg belts It is prob­able that the destruct ion of the cherry-trees would be the wiser plan, for otherwise they would be too often neglected as is the case at present If but a few wild cherry -trees were allowed to grow near an orchard and they were well sprayed with poison from year to year or the numerous egg belts removed, it is probable that the tent caterp illars would be found

on the apple trees in comparative ly small numbers

The exhaustive experiments, conduc ted by Dr Fernald , on the amount

of paris green necessary to kill this species, show most conclusively that the caterpillars can be readily controlled by spray ing with poison The experiments prove that the larvae in any stage can be killed in two or three days with an applicat ion of one poun d of paris green in from 30 0

to 400 gallons of water, and that even the extre mely dilute mixture of one pound to 1 000 gallons is deadly in two or three weeks after applica­tion While in practice it will be found best to use paris green at the rate of one pound to 2 00 or 3 00 gallons or less, the experiments show that this species is much more sensitive to arsenical poisons than is the case with the gypsy moth, P ort/leiria disjJa r Linn , the spring canker worm, P aleacrita uernata Peck, and some other injurious species In cases where it is desirable to spray thetrees earlyin thespringforthe pur­pose of controlling other insects, the same applicati on should be entirely effective in preventin g injury by tent caterpillar s

If for some reason or othe r, it is not desirable to spray at the proper time to kill this sp ecies, recour se may be had either to ga thering the egg belts in the winter or early spring and destroying th em, or to thedestruc­tion of the young when assembled in their recen tly formed nests The

186 NE W YOR K ST ATE M USE U :M

collecting of the eggs is best done when the trees are leafless and the

sky clear or covered with whitish cloud s A little exper ience will enable

o e to detec t th e egg belts very readily There are several methods of

is by crushing them with the han ds, mittens may be worn if preferred, as

suggested by Dr Fitch If the nests are att ended to early in the season, the operation is quickly and thor oughly done, as most of them are within

reach of a short ladd er The nests may be torn out with a brush, a dry

mullen stalk or other arrangeme nt and their occupa nts crushed on th e

the tree Another method is burning the nests by the use of rags soaked in kerosene and tied to -a pole or other form of a torch When the flames are b rought und er the nests, the occupants escape so far as possible by

dropping It is seldom that every caterpillar on the tree is destroyed by

this means Not only do a number escape, but in many cases the trees

the fire .It would be better to cut off the branches bearing nests, as is

B ibli ography Fabricius , J C Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta

1793 3: 433,no.8 I (original description,as B omb) ' x)

p 373-75, pI 8, fig 13- I 7 (description, general account)

Gaylord, W illis N Y State agricultural society Transactions

1844 3: 152, I53, (brief notice)

1854 p 235, 236, pI 45, fig I, pI 47, fig 6 (brief account)

r856 IS :4 I3-3 0, 431-4I, 4 fig (exten ded account); th e same in

Insects of New York rst-ad Reports 1856 p.180-98,1 9- 2° 9 j N Y

the same in Insec ts of New York 3d-5th Reports 1 59 sec 28 ;

N Y State agricultural society Transactions I860 I9: 595 (mention)

not ice)

Americ a I862 p 236 (listed)

Guide to the study of insects 1869 p 207, 238, 30I, fig 232 (brief

notice ) ; Rocky moun tain locust and other insects Report 1877 p

REPORT OF S T ATE E NTO l\IOLOGrST, r 8 9 8 187

793,7 94, pl 69,ftg.5,6(brief acco unt); U S Entomolog icalcommission

5th Report 1890' p 121, 531 (men tion)

Walsh, B D Practical entomologist 1866 I : 46,78, 10 1 (food plants, parasites ); - 1866 2 : 22, 72,92, 12, Iq, 119, 121 (men tion)

I : 208, fig 145 (men tion) ; - 1869 2: 39 (food plan ts)

LeBaron, W ill ia m American entomologist 1870 2: 143-46,

fig 97, 98 (life history, habits)

American entom ologist and botanist 1870 2:245, 261(mention); In­

sects of Missouri 3d Report 1871 p 117-21, fig 0, 51 (general

account) : - 5th Report ] 873 p.56, fig.29 (eggs figured); American

natur alist 1873 7: 516,517 (mention); U S Dep't agriculture, Divi­

1870 187r, p 80-82, fig 18, 20, 21 (brief acco unt); the same in Ento­

Cana dianento mologist 1873' 5:140, 141, 142, fig.17 (brief notice); ­

18 76 8:4 (mention); Entomological society of Ontario 19th Report

1889 p 71-73, fig 42, 43 (brief account); - 27th Report 1897

(mention) ; - 187 2 4 : 134, fig 9 (me ntion ); Entomologica l society of

dian en to mologist 18 78 10 : 21-22 (hibernating as larvae within eggs);

Inse ts inj urious to fruits 1883 1889 p 47-52, fig 38-42 (genera l

1872 p 147, 155(mention); Country gentleman 1881 46:455 (identi­

fied ); Insects of New York r st Report 1882 p 56, 85, 328 (mention);

- ad Rep ort 1885 p.83 (mention); - 3d Report 1887 p 85, 92,

147 (mention); Country gentleman 1888 53:511 (brief account); ­

1889 54: 269 (briefaccoun t); Insects of New York 5th Report 1889

165, 181 (ab undant); Country gentleman 1890 55: 329 (remedy); In ­

sects of New York 7th Report 189I p 215 (ravages), p.220 (her

map hro dite), p 331,3 59 (mention); Countrygentleman 189 2 57: 492

tion);- 9th Report 1893 p 293,441,456 (mention), p 461 (a para­site); Insect life 1 93 6:184 (men tion); Insectsof Ne w York loth Report 1895 p 481 495 (mentio ); - rrth Report 1896 p 121,

265 (ment ion); U S Dep't agr iculture, Division ento mology Bulletin 6

ware cou nty)

1874 p 229-32, fig 2, 3 (brief acc ount )

lS S N EW YO RK STATE MUS EUM

Cook, A J American naturalist 1874 8 : 68 (birds preying on

larvae) ; Mich State board of agr icultu re 1 th Rep rt 1874 1875

p 13°-32, fig 0 (b rief account)

Lyma n, H H Canadia n entomologist 1874 6: 158 (ment ion)

Kr idelbaugh, S H Iowa state hort icultu ral society Repo rt

Go tt , B Entomological society of Ont ario Report 1877' p

41-42, fig 21, 22, 23 (rava ges, remedies) ; - 187 1879 p 56

(ment ion)

Thomas , C yr us Insects of Illinois 6th Report 1 77 p 12,13 (r emedies)

Frenc h, G H Insects of Illinois 7th Report 1878 p 197, 198

(brief notice)

Perk ins, G H Vt Sta te board of agriculture 5th Report 1878

1888 p 3-7(br iefaccount);Vt.Sta teboardofagriculture 1I th Report

1890' Separ ate P' 47 (on elm) ; Vt Agricult ural experiment station

Scudde r , S H Psyche 18 8 2 : 114 (mention)

Smi t h, E A Insects of Illinois 7th Repo rt 1878 p 107, IIO, III, II9 (notes)

Hoy , P R Wis State horti cultural society Transactions 1879

9 : 27° - 76 fig 5 (general account )

Coquillet t , D W Insects of Illnois loth Report 1881 P 155,

fig 55 (larva described) ; U S Dep't agricult ure, Division ento mology

Technical series n 1897 p 16, 24 (dipt erous parasites)

Marte n, J ohn Insects of Illinois lot h Report 1881 p 122,

1 3 fig 35 (brief notice)

Stretch, R H Papilio 188 1 I : 68 (synonymy)

Goding, F W Iowa stat e agricultural society Report 1882

1883 Separ ate p 6 (b rief account)

Clay pole , E W Canad ian entom ologist 1883' IS : 38 (mention);

tion)

Cooke, Matthew Injurious inse ts of the orchard, vineyard 1883

p 83, 84 fig 2-54 (b rief account)

Fernald, C H Standard natur al history Kingley's 1884 2:454 (brief mention) ; Mass (Hatch) agricultural experimen t station Bulletin

1 1891 p 22-2 4, fig IS, 16 (brief accoun t); - Bulletin 19· 1892

fig 5 6, 7 (brief acc oun t); - Bulletin 24· 1894 p 3 (experiment with

Di m m ock, A K Psyche 1885 4 :275 (men tion)

F let cher , James Centra l experimental farm (Canada) Report entomologist and botanist 1885 Separate p 4 , fig 3 (mention);­