THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 79 



2 Mid femur with a number of strong bristles on apical half of anteroventral 

 surface and two very long strong ones on basal half of posteroventral, 

 the femora slender spinosissima Malloch 



Mid femur without bristles on apical half of anteroventral surface, the 

 bristles on basal half of posteroventral surface very short; femora 

 noticeably thickened prohoscidalis Malloch 



NEW SPECIES AND LIFE HISTORIES IN PAPAIPEMA SM. 



(LEPIDOPTERA) NO. 20. 



BY HENRY BIRD, 

 Rye. N, Y. 



Papaipema insiilidens Bird. 



Although several occurrences of this species have been chronicled since 

 its description in 1902, it remained for the fuller biological details to be detected 

 by Mr. F. M. Jones, of Wilmington, Del., whose western trip in 1918 produced 

 a number of interesting results. Mr. Jones' familiarity with the larval pro- 

 cedure in this genus made his observations particularly valuable, but excepting 

 this one, he reported that no other symptom of Papaipetna work came to his 

 notice. On August 12th, while at Sisson, California, not far from the base 

 of Mount Shasta, an unfamiliar plant attracted his attention, and an examin- 

 ation proved it to be bored by some larval form of this genus. Specimens of 

 the plant and its contained insect were forwarded to the writer, the plant 

 ultimately being determined by Dr. N. L. Britton, of New York, as Senccio 

 hydrophilus Nutt. Of the ecological situation involved, Mr. Jones writes: 

 "Larvae sent to you inhabited a tall, coarse herb, growing very locally, in an 

 open and wet locality — almost out of the water. The flowers were bright 

 yellow and conspicuous, the stems hollow and rather tender. The larva enters 

 the stem and prepares an exit thinly ceiled by papery epidermis of the stem, 

 to, or below the ground surface, throws out little, or no frass, pupates low in 

 the stem and prepares an exit thinly ciled by papery epidermis of the stem. 

 At the date found, all but two had pupated (except those killed by parasites), 

 and one of these was about to do so." 



Of the twelve pupae forwarded, nine produced adults, with three falling 

 to the usual predatory forces that follow in the wake of Papaipema. This mor- 

 tality is of the average, after pupal change, and in a way, helps to strengthen 

 the assumption that these larvae were doubtless following their usual trend in 

 a preferred and primitive foodplant. Dr. Britton informs us that this section 

 of the large genus Senccio has a number of closely allied species, and there is a 

 possibility insiilidens may take up with others also. Originally described from 

 Vancouver Island, its range is thus extended considerably southward, and it 

 may be assumed to follow the main habitat of the Senccio species serving as 

 foodplant. 



The larva seems typical of the generic series ; head has the usual oblique 

 line at the ocelli which finds a continuation in a lateral border to the cephalic 



