The Peach-Tree Borer. 167 



The insect was popularly known as the " peach worm " or " the 

 peach-tree insect " in earlier writings. Sometime before 1850 it 

 had received the name of " peach-tree borer," and usually under 

 this popular name it has since been discussed. Almost every peach 

 grower east of the Rocky Mountains understands what insect is 

 referred to as the " peach-tree borer." However, the peach-tree 

 borer of the Pacific coast States is a different kind of an insect, bear- 

 ing tlie scientific name of Sanninoidea opalescens. Hence, when 

 exitiosa obtains a foothold in these States, which is liable to occur 

 at any time, it will doubtless be designated as the Eastern peach-tree 

 borer to distinguish it from the Pacific species. 



The specific name exitiosa means " destructive," hence it is aptly 

 applied to such a pest as tlie peach-tree borer. Emmons (1854), 

 doubtless freely translating this name, called the insect the " Mis- 

 chievous Egery," the latter part of this being a popularization of its 

 first generic name of Aegeria. 



As the bibliographical foot-note, I'eferred to above, indicates, 



Aegeria persic(B'R?kXion . 1826. Harris, New Eugland Farmer, V., 33. 



Sphinx exitiosa Say. 1832. Brown, Book of Butt, and Cloths, p. 17, flg. (j;-(. 



Trochilium exitiosa Hum. 1856. Fitch, Third Rept. , 356. 



Trochilium exitiosa Say. 1862. Morris, Syuop. Lep. N. Am., p. 140. 



Sesia xiphiaeformis. 1874. Boisduval, Suites a Buflfon, Nat. Hist. Lepidop., 

 Het. 1., p. 409. Description cf female. 



Sdimina exitiosa Say. 1874. Butler, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., p. 408. 



Sanninoidea exitiosa Saj. 1896. Beuteumiiller, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.. 

 VIII, 126; and Vol. XII., 1899, p. 160. 



FEMALE VARIETY ^^c/m. 



Aegeria exitiosa YBX. fitchii. 1882. Edwards. Papilio, XL, 55. 



MALE VARIETY luminosa. 

 Sannina exitiosa var. luminosa. 1894. Neumoegen, Ent. News, V., 331. 



FEMALE VARIETY eclwaidsH. 



Sanninoidea exitiosa var. edwardsii 1899. Beutenmuller, Bull. Am. Mus. 

 Nat. Hist., XII., 160. 



This bibliographical f(>ot-note shows that the insect has received two other spe- 

 cific names {pepsidifor^nis by Hiibner in 1825, and xiphiaeformis by Boisduval in 

 1874) in Europe, and it has also been placed in several different genera, being 

 once described as a wasp {Apis persica). The latest student of this kind of insects, 

 Mr. Beutenmuller, has formed a new genus, Sanninoidea, for this insect and a few 

 closely, allied forms. Hence the peach-tree borer now bears the scientific name of 

 Sanninoidea exitiosa Say. 



