FIELD BOOK OF INSECTS. 



LlMACODID.'E 



The larvae of this family are curious, slug-like creatures, 

 with almost nothing resembling legs. They crawl on their 

 flattened bellies. Be careful about handling them, if 

 they have spines, as these are easily broken off and are 

 extremely irritating things to get in one's skin. Some 

 authors use " Cochlidiidae " as the family name. 



Siblne 



The Saddle-back larva (Plate LIX) is 



often noticed by reason of its curious shape 

 stimulea T . 



and color. It feeds on apple, pear, cherry, 



and other things, including corn. Its spines sting like 

 nettles but the pain may be allayed by ammonia or bicar- 

 bonate of soda. The larvae are full grown in late summer 

 and the adults fly during June and July, so that I suppose 

 the winter is passed in a cocoon but whether as larva or 

 pupa I know not. Dyar and Morton (Journal N. Y. 

 Ent. Soc., IV) figure the cocoon as a smooth ovoid on a 

 leaf and say that the larval hairs imbedded in it retain 

 their stinging qualities. 



See Plate LIX for the adult Green Slug- 

 moth. The larva is bright scarlet with 

 chlons 



four blue-black lines along the back and with 



yellow prickles. Sometimes, possibly it is when a molt 

 is due, the ground-color of the larva is brownish yellow. 

 The cocoon is dark brown, egg-shaped, smooth, and very 

 thin. The larva hibernates in this cocoon, not changing 

 to a pupa until spring. The adults fly in June and July. 

 These adults may be confused, at first, with those of other 

 species of Euclea. 



"Hag-moth" refers to the larva which is 



obetrom dark brown with eight, relatively long, 

 pithecium , . , J 



fleshy, hairy appendages, which cover the 



back and project from the sides of the larva and have a 

 backward twist, like locks of disheveled hair. They 

 are, in fact, fleshy hooks covered with feathery, brown hairs 

 among which are longer, black, stinging hairs. The 

 cocoon is almost spherical, and is defended by the hairy 



200 



