96 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Oct. 



THE BURDOCK GELECHIID 

 An Insect Seed-destroyer. 



A very common but useful little insect which occurs in 

 eastern Canada is the Burdock vSeed Gelechiid, Metzneria 

 lappella L. In the Ottawa district there is no difficulty whatever 

 in finding in autumn and during the winter months, the curious 

 little larvae snugly concealed in the seed heads of the Lesser 

 Burdock, Arctium niiyius. So abundant has the insect become 

 that it is the exception to find a seed head in which the small 

 caterpillar is not wintering. Oftentimes two larvae are found 

 in the same head. If a seed head is examined several of the 

 seeds will be found to be fastened together and if these are 

 separated the white larva, with a brown head, will be seen in 

 its hibernaculum. It is a short, phmip caterpillar and when 

 mature is about three-sixteenths of an inch long. In spring it 

 transforms to the pupal state and the moth emerges towards the 

 end of May or during June. On one occasion I reared from a small 

 handful of heads, nearly one hundred of the moths. l"he 

 moth is a delicate little species, expanding when the wings are 

 spread about half an inch, the females being slightly larger 

 than the males. The front wings are pale brownish, with 

 darker markings of brown; the hind wings are of a slate-col otir 

 and bear long fringes. 



The Burdock Gelechiid, a native of Ettrope and Asia, was 

 first discovered in Canada by the Rev. Dr. Fyles, at Le\ds, Que., 

 in September, 1898. Since, it has spread considerably through- 

 out the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The species is abund- 

 ant at Toronto, where Dr. A. Cosens has noticed the larvae since 

 1904. H 



Regarding the introduction of the insect into Canada. 

 Dr. Fyles, in the Annual Report of the Entomological Society 

 of Ontario, 1899, states: "It may well be asked, How was this 

 European insect advanced to Canada?" This probably is the 

 correct answer: at Point Levi there is a quarantine station for 

 cattle; and old country hay and straw are often landed with 

 the cattle; and burs containing larvae of the species ha\-e, at 

 some time, been landed with the fodder. The Burdock is 

 plentiful on all our roads.'-'. 



^J^SS^T^N. v^ Arthur Gibson. 



