THE OTTAWA NATURALIST 



Vol. XXI. OTTAWA, NOVEMBER, 1907. Xo. 8 



THE GREAT LEOPARD MOTH 



(ECPANTHERIA DEFLORATA, FaB.). 



By Arthur Gib.son. 



This insect, while southern in range, has been found in the 

 larval state in autumn or early spring in western Ontario, but 

 Canadian specimens of the moths are very rare in collections. 

 In the annual report of the Entomological Society of Ontario 

 for 1903, the Rev. Prof. Bethune published an article in which 

 he recorded the finding of a single specimen of the larva of this 

 moth at London, Ont., on May 6th, 1903. This was sent to the 

 writer who made the following description of it, which was in- 

 cluded in the above article: 



Length 43 mm. General appearance a stout, black larva, 

 with stiff, shiny, jet-black bristles. Head 4 mm. wide, sub- 

 quadrate, flattened in front, only slightly bilobed at vertex; 

 black, shiny, excepting posterior upper part of cheek near segment 

 2 , which is pale ; suture and epistoma dull whitish ; mandibles 

 slightly reddish ; hairs on face mostly black, reddish at tips. 

 Body stout, dull black, with patches and streaks of velvety black 

 on dorsum; distinctly yellowish in the incisures; lower lateral 

 and ventral surface paler. Tubercles large, all black, excepting 

 vi, vii and viii, which are a dark amber colour, each bearing a 

 bunch of stiff, black, barbed bristles; from v, vi, vii and viii 

 manv of the bristles are tinged with dark red. Tubercles i, ii 

 and iii are nearly the same size; iv elongate. Spiracles dull 

 orange, anterior and close to, but above .tubercle iv on abdominal 

 segments. All the feet shiny brown tipped with black. 



I was very glad indeed to have the opportunity of examining 

 this caterpillar, as I had never before seen a living specimen. At 

 the annual meeting of the above Society, held at Guelph, in 

 October, 1906, Mr. J. B Wilhams, one of the Toronto members 

 of the Club, exhibited two living larvae of this handsome moth, 



