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Vol. XXIX. LONDON, JULY, 1897. No. 7. 



THE COLUMBINE BORER (Hydr(ecia purpurifascia, G. & R.). 



BY M. V. SLINGERLAND, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, N. Y. 



In 1894, Mrs. J. J. Glessner, Littleton, N. H., called my attention 

 to a "worm" which was feeding in the roots and stems of her colum- 

 bines. It was not until July, 1895, however, that she succeeded in getting 

 specimens of the '* worm " for me. The " worm " proved to be a cater- 

 pillar which was unfamiliar to me, and in accordance with my usual 

 practice in such cases, it was described and photographed. The photo- 

 graphs, giving dorsal and, lateral views of the caterpillar, twice natural 

 size, are reproduced on the plate. 



The full-grown larva measured one and three-eighths inches in length. 

 Its general colour is mars brown, much lighter on the venter of the first 

 two thoracic and last four or five abdominal segments. The head is of a 

 light russet colour, black about the eye-spots. Mandibles dark brown, 

 black-tipped. Thoracic shield concolorous with the head on the dorsum, 

 but merging into black on the sides and sometimes into a narrow black 

 cephalic border ; the shield is divided by a narrow whitish mesial line. 

 Anal shield large, black, merging into brown mesially. The true legs are 

 brownish-black, and the bases of the pro-legs are marked with blackish 

 areas. Short light brown hairs arise from conspicuous, comparatively 

 large blackish spots ; the piliferous spots on the dorsum of the last two 

 abdominal segments are considerably larger than the others. The 

 spiracles are black. There is a continuous narrow white mesial stripe 

 extending along the dorsum. A similar white stripe extends along the 

 subdorsum on each side, but it is not continuous, being entirely obsolete 

 on the first four abdominal segments, and sometimes on the last thoracic 

 segment also. The discontinuance of these two white side stripes gives 

 the larva a rather curious appearance, as the figures show. 



One of the caterpillars, which was received in the latter part of July, 

 1895, pupated on or about August 8, and the adult insect (the beautiful 

 moth shown twice natural size on the plate) emerged September 3, 1895. 



