1907] Entomological Branch 24; 



ENTOMOLOGICAL BRANCH. 



Meeting No. 3, held at Mr. W. Simpson's house, Jan. 24, 

 1906: ten present. At the request of Mr. Simpson, Dr. Fletcher 

 acted as Chairman. 



Mr Harrington gave an account of the chief characteristics 

 of the Lampyridae, reading extracts from Dr. Sharpe's article on 

 the subject in the Cambridge Natural History. The phemonenon 

 of luminosity was discussed and several present spoke of having 

 observed this in larval forms. The different groups were con- 

 sidered, and Mr. Simpson exhibited his collection in which most 

 of the Ottawa species were represented. Mr. Harrington read 

 extracts from an article in the January "Entomological News" by 

 Dr. W. A. Rilev, giving an account of the remarkable process of 

 polyembryonv of Litomastix truncatellus as discovered by Prof. 

 Filippo Sylvestri, of Portiei, Italy. A most striking feature 

 of this process is that from a single egg there originate in the 

 parasitized larvae over a thousand individuals of two different 

 types of larvae, one thousand being of the normal form ; and in 

 addition there are about one hundred vermiform asexual larvae, 

 which lack all trace of circulatory, respiratory, or genital systems 

 or of malpighian tubes. They are, however, provided with 

 stronglv developed mouth parts adapted for tearing, and their 

 special function seems to be the breaking down of the organs of 

 the parasitized caterpillar and thus preparing them to serve as 

 nutriment for the sexual forms. 



Mr. Gibson exhibited a case containing complete series of 

 inflates illustrating the life histories of Gluphisia severa, Smer- 

 inthus cerysii, var. ophthalmicus, and Crocigrapha normani, all 

 of which had been reared from the egg, and larva' preserved of 

 each stage. Mr. Gibson also read a short article on the Great 

 Leopard Moth, Ecpantheria deflorata. 



Mr. Young showed a case of 130 different species of geo- 

 metrida? which he had taken at Ottawa and specimens of all of 

 which had been through the Rev. G. W. Taylor's hands for 

 identification. The most interesting species were pointed out 

 and some facts of their occurrence stated. 



