OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XVII, 1915 155 



My interest in the subject was awakened in 1902, by finding 

 the larvae of Ccelogaster litnratiix Dietz, which are external feeders 

 and cover themselves with their own dung in the manner of the 

 larvae of Lema. It was found that these larvae of Ccelogaster 

 were completely enveloped in a transparent viscous coating. 

 Later, opportunity was found to investigate the production of 

 such a secretion in the larva of Hypera punctata, 1 conflicting 

 statements having been found in the literature. Thus De Geer- 

 and Lacordaire, 3 discussing the larva of Hypera, state that it is 

 covered with a viscous substance which aids it in locomotion 

 and enables it to cling to its food-plant. Goureau could per- 

 ceive no such viscous substance and asserted that the larva moved 

 and maintained its position solely by means of the series of ven- 

 tral tubercles. He believes that the open-meshed cocoon was 

 spun as in lepidopterous larvae. 4 



Ferris, in his earlier writings on the subject, takes issue with 

 these authors and asserts that in Cionus 5 and Hypera 6 the viscous 

 substance is secreted from a papilla situated basally on the upper 

 side of the twelfth body-segment and that the substance is car- 

 ried forward by peristaltic movements of the body. This papill:; 

 is stated to be ordinarily hidden, but protrusile. Ferris states 

 that the cocoons are formed of this same viscous substance, drawn 

 from its source by the aid of the mandibles and palpi. We find 

 the positive assertion that the threads of the open-meshed cocoons 

 of Hypera do not come from spinnerets near the mouth, but are 

 drawn from the gland at the base of the twelfth segment. The 

 statement of Ferris, that the viscous secretion of the larva of 

 Hypera proceeds from a tubercle on the twelfth body-segment, 

 appears to have been very widely accepted and is repeated even 

 in works of recent date. We find it, among others, with Taschen- 

 berg, 7 Bargagli 8 and Lumardoni. 9 But the impression gained is 

 that these statements are not based upon original observation. 



1 The name Hypera is used here in the broader sense as synonymous with 

 Phytonomus, over which latter it has priority. 



- De Geer, Carl. Memoires pour servir a 1'histoire dcs insectcs, vol. .">, 

 p. 233. 1775. 



3 Lacordaire, J. Th. Introduction a 1'Entomologie, vol. 1, p. 103. 1834. 



4 Goureau. Note pour servir a 1'histoire du Phytoiminus rumicis. 

 Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 2, vol. 2, p. 49-59. IMI. 



5 Ferris, Edouard. Notes pour servir ;\ 1'histoire des Cionus. Ann. 

 Soc. Linn. Lyon, vol. 2, p. 25-29. 1850. 



6 Ferris, Edouard. Notes pour servir a I'histoirc dcs Phytonomus et 

 dcs Phytobius. Mem. Acad. Sc. Lyon, ser. 2, vol. 1, p. 93-106. 1851. 



7 Taschenberg. Praktische Inscktcn-Kundc, part 2. p. 123. 1N79. 



8 Bargagli, Piero. Rasegna , biologica di rhinieofori europci. Bull. Soc. 

 Ent. Ital., vol. 15. p. 319. L883; vol. 16, p. 165. 1NM. 



9 Lumardoni, A. Gli Insetti nocivi, vol. 1, p. 339. 1SS9. 



