14 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



NOTES ON ISCHYRUS QUADRIPUNCTATUS OLIV., BRED FROM 



FUNGUS. 



BY HARRY B. WEISS, 

 New Brunswick, N.J. 



On July 10 at Union (near Elizabeth), N.J., several partly grown larv^ae 

 and adults of this species were taken while feeding on a species of Poria growing 

 on an old elm stump. Most of the larvae were feeding openly on the surface 

 of the fungus, while others were partly buried in it. Some of the larvae were 

 caged together with a supply of food, and these continued to feed up until 

 July 16, by which time all of the fungus had been eaten. They then burrowed 

 into the old, decayed bark and constructed cells in which they pupated. By 

 July 20 all had transformed into pupae, and on July 27 the first adult emerged, 

 fully coloured. 



According to Stevens,^ members of the fungus genus Poria may be recog- 

 nized by the sporophore being entirely resupinate, often widely extended, the 

 base leathery to punky and the pores small and rounded covering almost the 

 entire surface. 



Full groivn Larva. — Length 9 mm. Width across mesothorax 2.5 mm. 

 Elongate, subcylindrical, abdomen tapering slightly toward anal segment, 

 segmentation distinct; antennae three- jointed, subcylindrical, second joint longest 

 and bearing minute third joint, which is tipped with a hair; prothorax twice as 

 long as mesothorax; meso- and metathorax subequal in length; abdominal 

 segments subequal in length. Colour white except for head which is dark and 

 the dark brown to black, subrectangular, transverse, chitinized areas on the 

 dorsal surfaces of the thoracic and abdominal segments, giving the dorsal sur- 

 face a transverse banded appearance. Median, V-shaped, white line on head 

 with point of V touching anterior, prothoracic edge; median, white, dorsal line 

 on thoracic and abdominal segments; on either side of the median, dorsal line 

 on prothorax is a wider, somewhat curved, white line, which taken with median 

 line divides the dark area into four parts, the lateral parts being subcircular; 

 dark areas on dorsal surfaces of head, thorax and abdomen bear numerous 

 white hairs with prominent, tuberculate, dark bases becoming largest on the 

 last five or six abdominal segments; dorsal surface of last abdominal segment 

 bears two prominent, spine like tubercles curved anteriorly, these tubercles 

 bear smaller tubercles each tipped with a white hair; lateral surfaces of thoracic 

 and abdominal segments bear several hairs with tuberculate bases; tubercles 

 on lateral portion of head posterior to antennae are the largest; ventral surface 

 and legs white and sparsely hairy; spiracles on secontl thoracic and abdominal 

 segments one to eight. 



Pupa. — Length 8.5 mm. Width across thorax 3.2 mm. White, elongate- 

 oval, rounded anteriorly, gradually tapering posteriorly; head, thorax and 

 wing-cases, especially prothorax, covered with minute, reddish-brown tubercles 

 each bearing a long, white, spine-like hair; transverse patches of similar tubercles 

 on dorsal and ventral abdominal segments, more numerous on dorsal surface; 

 lateral surface of each abdominal segment bears two groups of slightly longer 

 tubercles each bearing a long hair; lateral spine- like hairs are longer than other 



1. Stevens, F. L., The Fungi Which Cause Plant Disease, 1913. 

 January, 1920 



