AQUATIC INSECTS IN NEW YORK STATE 297 



that these delicate larvae are able to locate themselves in this 

 way, and many of them must fall prey to fishes in their transit. 



The larvae just emerged from the egg have all the general 

 characteristics of the mature larvae, with the addition of many 

 long, stiff hairs [pl.27, fig.l3]. These hairs are very similar 

 to those found on recently hatched butterfly larvae, as they 

 have been figured by Dr S. H. Scudder,^ In specimens 

 kept in aquaria it was found that these hairs were soon 

 shed. It has not been possible to determine anything as to 

 their function, though they may have to do with freeing the 

 larva from the eggshell or they may be for entangling a supply 

 of air to be used by the larva till it finds some of the roots of 

 Nymphaea, though this certainly can not be the reason for their 

 •occurrence in the larvae of the butterflies. 



With such conditions as those under which this study was 

 made it was neither practicable nor possible to follow the larva 

 from the time it left the egg till it began feeding on the roots 

 of Xymphaea. In this pond there was only one species of 

 Donacia larvae found in great abundance feeding on the under- 

 ground stems of Nymphaea, there was only one species of adult 

 found abundantly on the leaves of the plant, and in both cases 

 this was p a 1 m a t a . There w^ts only a single kind of egg 

 found abundantly that produced Donacia larvae, and this, to- 

 gether with the above circumstances, certainly warrants the 

 conclusion that these were the eggs of Donacia palmata. 



When the large underground stems were examined, they were 

 usually found covered with larvae of various sizes and with 

 cocoons [pl.22]. The larvae were found clinging to the larger 

 roots and feeding on the fine rootlets with which the roots are 

 covered. Several roots are shown that appear to be covered 

 with minute tubercles [pl.22/-]. These tubercles are the places 

 from which the rootlets have been cut off by the larvae. In 

 addition to the above, the larvae also eat holes in the apices 

 of the larger roots. A larva feeding in this way is shown on 

 plate 27, figure 18, where the head, prothorax, and mesothorax 



iSciidder, S. II. Butterflies of the Eastern United States, v.3, p.70-73. 



