On Certain Grass-Eating Insects. 



71 



Perilampus violaceous Dalm., a Chalcid ; and also a species of 

 Tachina, a fl5^ 



Besides the true parasites a number of predaceous insects have 

 been observed to prey upon this species of Crambus. Most 

 prominent of these are a number of Carabid or Ground Beetles 

 and several species of ants. 



Egg. — A pale straw color when first laid, gradually turning to an ochra- 

 ceous buff color before hatching. .Form elliptical oval ; size .45 mm. by 36 

 mm. The egg-shell has twenty longitudinal ridges and numerous smaller 

 transverse ridges PI. XII., Fig. 9. 



Larva, first stage. — Head diameter .19 mm.; body diameter .175 mm.; 

 length 1.25 mm. Head a dark brown ; thoracic shield olive, and the body a 

 straw 5'ellow color. Scattered light colored hairs occur on the head and on 

 the numerous small brownish tubercles on the body. 



Larva, late in the fall. — 2.5 mm. long. Head jet black; thoracic shield a deep 

 brown ; body brown with deep brown tubercles. The fifth to thirteenth seg- 

 ments inclusive are divided into cephalic and caudal portions by a short 

 transverse constriction. 



II. Leach's Crambus. 



Crambus leachellus. 



plates II., VII., XII., XIII., Fig. II. 



While not very abundant, this species has a wide distribution, 

 having been taken in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, 

 and Venezuela. It probably occurs in most of the United States 

 and in corresponding latitudes in South America. The species is 

 easily recognized by the silvery white stripe in the middle of the 

 dull rufous fore wing ; the stripe extends almost to the tip of the 

 wing. The adults fly mostly in the late afternoon and during the 

 early evening. They are attracted to light. 



Trap Lantern Record. C. leachellus, 1889. 



The table and observations in the field show that this insect has 



