March, 1904.J BUSCK : An INJURIOUS CaSE-BeARER. 45 



A CASE-BEARER INJURIOUS TO APPLE AND 



PLUM IN CHINA (COLEOPHORA NEVI- 



USIELLA, NEW SPECIES). 



By August Busck, 

 Washington, D. C. 



An interesting sending of living Coleophora larvae was received last 

 year at U. S. Department of Agriculture from Mrs. John L. Nevius", 

 Chefoo, China. The larvae were enclosed with a small apple twig in 

 a pasteboard box tightly sealed by gummed strips. It left Chefoo 

 May 16, 1903, and arrived in Washington, June 20. On opening 

 the box it was found that all had come alive ; some of the moths had 

 issued during transit and were somewhat rubbed, but subsequently 

 several more issued. In a letter of May 16 Mrs. Nevius wrote that 

 these insects were first brought to her attention in a garden of foreign 

 fruit trees in Chefoo by a native gardener, who said that they were a 

 new kind of worm, which had recently made their appearance and 

 which did great damage to the apple and plum trees in his garden. 

 Later the same insect was found damaging apple and plum in the 

 sender's own garden. Other native gardeners complained of its in- 

 juries, also believing it a "new worm." This testimony together 

 with the fact that a large number of foreign fruit trees has been im- 

 ported to this part of China, and considering how easily Co/eophofa 

 could be introduced with them, made it seem probable that it might 

 be an American or a European species of Coleophora which caused 

 the damage complained of; but I have been unable to identify the 

 species with any described Coleophora from Europe or America. I am 

 inclined to believe that the species is a native of China, which has 

 transferred its attack from some allied native tree to the imported fruit 

 trees. 



It belongs to the same group as our so-called Cigar-case-bearer 

 {^Coleophora fletcherella Fernald), which also feeds on apple and plum. 



Coleophora neviusiella, new species. 



Antennre dark brown with sharply defined silvery white annulations ; basal joint 

 with slightly developed tuft. Labial palpi dark fuscous, silvery on the inner side 

 and with tips of both joint whitish ; tuft on underside of second joint very small. 

 Head and thorax dark fuscous ; face somewhat lighter. I'orewings dark shining, 

 fuscous, evenly sprinkled with steel gray and bluish white scales ; on the middle of the 



