CLEAR-WING MOTHS OF FAMILY AEGERIIDAE 175 



the species from "Newark, N. J., rare, on poplars and willows." By 1900 

 it had spread and increased to such a degree that it was recognized as a 

 menace to shade trees in the vicinity of New York City and on Long 

 Island. Apparently the insect reached its greatest abundance between 

 1900 and 1920, attacking with preference Carolina and silver poplars, 

 causing great injury or death to trees of those species. It became ad- 

 visable to substitute maples and other trees for the faster-growing but 

 shorter-lived poplars. The larvae burrow beneath the bark in the cam- 

 bium and solid wood or in roots exposed or near the surface. During 

 the fall of the second year they prepare for pupation by extending their 

 galleries through the thick bark, leaving only fragile covers over the ulti- 

 mate exits. Then they construct elongated cocoons 1 to 1 J/2 inches long 

 composed of rough chips on a silk inner lining in which they winter to 

 change to pupae in the spring, the moths emerging in late May and in 

 June. When living in roots the larvae often leave their burrows to con- 

 struct cocoons in the surrounding soil. I have obtained as many as 50 

 cocoons by sifting along roots at one tree. Extracting the tight-fitting 

 cocoons from bark is much more difficult and hazardous. The moths, 

 upon emerging during morning hours, leave the pupal shells partly ex- 

 posed at the base of the tree and crawl up the trunk to expand and dry 

 their wings. Copulation may occur before this is completed, the strong 

 flying males buzzing about like hornets in search of the heavy-bodied, 

 sluggish females. This is the time when experienced collectors make their 

 rounds to capture specimens. 



Regarding the present distribution of Aegeria apiformis in North 

 America, it seems that the species is still restricted to a narrow belt along 

 the Atlantic coast, extending hardly beyond a hundred miles in either 

 direction north and south from New York City. Reports from inland 

 regions to midwestern states and eastern Canada are considered erroneous. 

 In the vicinity of New York City the insect is far less common than it was 

 20 years ago. How far it has spread into areas outside of cultivation is 

 difficult to determine. 



Records in the United States National Museum: New York City 

 (City Hall Park, larvae in silver poplar), female issued May 3, 1881; 

 Englewood, N. J., males and females, June 2, 1924, Palisade Park, N. J., 

 June 10, 1937, Bronx Park, New York City, June 9, 1937 (Henry J. 

 Dietz) ; Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N. Y., June 29, 1915, Woodhaven, 

 L. I., N. Y., May 29, 1921, Baldwin, L. I., N. Y.. June 20, 1920, on 

 Carolina poplar, males and females (Engelhardt) ; White Plains, West- 

 chester County, N. Y., June 1938, on aspen (Engelhardt). 



AEGERIA TIBIALIS (Harris) 



Trochiliiim tibiale Harris, Amer. Journ. Arts and Sci., vol. 36, p. 309, 1839. — 

 LiNTNER, 23d Ann. Rep. New York State Cabinet Nat. Hist., 1869, p. 192, 1873.— 

 Hy. Edwards, Papilio, vol. 2, p. 53, 1882.— Beutenmuller, Bull. Amer. Mus. 



