190 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. ix. 



NOTE ON SESIA SIGMOIDEA. 



By Louis H. Joutel. 



The history and food-habits of Sesia sigmoidea seem to be im- 

 perfectly understood as Mr. Beutenmiiller in his monograph of the 

 Sesiidae says of this species, " said to be found on willow, but we have 

 no definite knowledge of its breeding in this plant," so that these few 

 notes may be of interest. 



Having need of some willow leaves I brought home a few plants 

 oi Salix discolor and planted them in the garden. They were infested 

 in part by the imported CryptorhyncJius lapathi which I killed. No- 

 ticing some time after that a few of the branches were dying they were 

 examined for more weevils, but instead a Sesia larva was found at work 

 near the ground. A closer examination of the plants revealed several 

 more larvae. These were left at work and examined from time to time 

 to note progress. Late in August the larvfe pupated and shortly after 

 produced Sesia sigmoidea. 



LARVA OF ISOCH^TES BEUTENMULLERI ON 

 STATEN ISLAND, N. Y. 



By Louis H. Joutel. 



This beautiful larva was rather strangely discovered on September 

 I, 1 901, while collecting with Mr. Wm. T. Davis on Staten Island. 

 We sat down by the side of a wood path to eat lunch, and while 

 complaining of the lack of insects my attention was attracted to a 

 bluish patch on the ground in front of me. While looking at it I 

 thought that if I were in Florida or Washington I would take it (the 

 patch) for a larva of /. heutenmiilleri oi which Dr. Dyar had shown me 

 examples. Finishing my lunch I decided to examine it, and was sur- 

 prised to find that it was the cast-off horns of that species. We im- 

 mediately looked overhead and discovered several larvte still feeding 

 on the Quercus paliistris under which we were sitting. 



The recorded observations of this species other than the above are 

 as follows: A single female (the type) taken by Wm. Beutenmiiller in 

 Florida in 1887. Several larvae found by Dr. Dyar near Washington, 

 D. C, in 1898 from which he raised a male. 



