168 Bulletin 176. 



three variations of the adult forms of this insect have been described 

 as distinct varieties. Thus we have the female varieties, fitchii and 

 edwardsii, and the male variety, luminosa. These will be discussed 

 when the appearance of the insect is being considered. 



Its Characteristics. 



Most peach growers have seen this insect in its destructive or 

 " borer " stage, and doubtless but few have ever seen it in any other 

 form. However, the peach-tree borer, like all the butterflies, the 

 moths, the beetles, and flies and some other insects, passes througli 

 four diflerent stages (see figure 57 on last page) during its hfe. It 

 begins life as an egg.^ from which hatches the larva or " horer^'' 

 which has to pass through a pupa stage, from which the adult or 

 ')noth form of the insect emerges. The Qg^ and pupa stage will be 

 described in telling the story of the life of the insect. 



The " horery — AYhen full-grown, the larva or caterpillar of the 

 peach-tree borer is a very light yellow, worm-like creature whose 

 general characteristics are well shown in figure 42. It measures 

 about an inch in length, and in addition to its six well developed 

 thoracic or "■ true " legs, it has five pairs of " false " or pro-legs on 

 the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and last abdominal segments. The 

 true jointed legs are of a light brown color, and terminate in a 

 sharp, dark brown claw ; all of the pro-legs are furnished with two 

 rows of recurved brown booklets, except . the last pair which has 

 but one row. The body is sparsely clothed with brownish hairs aris- 

 ing from smooth, slightly elevated tubercles, and arranged accord- 

 ing to a definite plan. The " borer's" head is of a shiny, dark red- 

 dish brown color, with its strong mandibles or jaws nearly black. 

 The dorsal portions of the first thoracic and the last abdominal seg- 

 ments bear a very light brown, shiny, chitinous shield. The spiracles 

 or breathing lioles along each side of the body are nearly circular, 

 dark brown with a black border, the first and last ones being con- 

 siderablv larger. The "borer" is well illustrated, both natural size 

 and enlarged in figure 42, and is also represented natural size in its 

 burrow in figure 47. 



The younger larvae or " borers " present practically the same 

 characteristics as the full-grown one just described, except that the 



