THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 15 



METZNERIA LAPPELLA, L.— A CURIOUS LIFE - HISTORY. 



BY REV. THOMAS W. FYLES, SOUTH QUEBEC. 



In the beginning of September, 1898, I discovered, in the heads 

 of burdock (Lappa f?iaJor, Grertn.), a curious larva, of which the fol- 

 lowing is a description : 



Head bilobed, brown. Mouth organs large. A brown plate, 

 marked longitudinally with a white line, on the second segment. Body 

 rounded, much crinkled, of a fatty appearance, having a few white hairs 

 along the sides. Anal segment small and protruding. The legs small 

 and weak. The pro-legs seemingly atrophied into mere pseudopodia. 

 Length of larva, two and a half lines. 



On the approach of winter, the larva, having eaten out a convenient 

 hollow in the closely-packed seeds, cemented its surroundings together, 

 and then lined its cell with a flocculent white cocoon. In this it 

 remained unchanged till the beginning of June, when it went into 

 chrysalis. 



The pupa was of elegant shape, amber-coloured — the head parts 

 darkening into brown. The antennae and legs, were traceable through 

 the skin. The length of the pupa was three lines. The moths appeared 

 in the end of June and continued till August. They mated about the 

 •middle of July. 



The dimensions of the perfect insects were as follows : 



Expanse of wings {$) sV^ li^^^s, ( 5j^ ) 9 lines. Length of body ( ^ ) 

 2}4 lines, (9)4 lines. Length of antennas {6)2 lines, (?) 3 lines. 



The eyes of the moth were large and prominent, in colour they were 

 a rich brown. The palpi were reflexed — the second joint was long and 

 had long scales, and the terminal joint was pointed. The antennas were 

 filiform, prettily encircled with minute short bristles at the joints. The 

 proboscis was long and coiled up watch-spring fashion. The body 

 terminated with a tuft like a paint brush. The tibia in the hindmost 

 pair of legs had two pairs of spurs ; that in the second pair of legs had 

 but one pair. 



The fore wings were of a pale sienna-brown, with a patch of darker 

 brown extending along the costa and towards the inner margin for two- 

 thirds of the length of the wing. There were three or four lines of 

 darker scales towards the hind margin and following its curve. Some of 

 the specimens had the three dots on the disk, spoken of by Stainton 

 (Man. of Bh. But. and Moths, Vol. II., p. 348). 



