A New Apple Pest. 648 



A NEW APPLE PEST. 



By G. French, F.L.8., F.E.8., F.B.H.8. 

 The Apple-Tree Hanging Moth. 



(Charagia lignivora. Lewin.) 



Order. Lepidoptera. Family, Hepialidse. 



This new pest of the apple grower has been brought under my 

 notice for the first time by Mr. Grant, the well-known orchardist of 

 Pakenham, the specimens herein figured having been reared by 

 myself from examples found in the orchard above-mentioned. 



The fine family of the Hepialidae is by no means an extensive one, 

 although of universal distribution, and comprises some of the largest 

 and most beautiful moths known to science. In Victoria, the genus 

 Charagia is represented by three species only, the moth under notice 

 being the smallest of the three. In New South Wales and Queens- 

 land, however, the genus is more largely represented, the two 

 largest species, C. ramsayi and C. mirahilis being amongst the most 

 beautiful insects in existence. 



Unfortunately for our forests these insects are, whilst in the 

 larval stage, terribly destructive to the native timber, and the death 

 of some of the most valuable trees may be traced to the depredations 

 of several species of the genus under notice. The species of this 

 genus are mostly very variable, and as a rule, the sexes are much 

 unlike each other both in shape and color. It is not proposed to 

 enter into technical details as the figures shown are life size and have 

 been drawn from nature. The female deposits her eggs, which are 

 numerous, almost anywhere, and as Mr. Hudson remarks, quite in- 

 discriminately, and the young larvse have early to shift for them- 

 selves. They commence at once to eat into the bark of the 

 trees attacked, but in the meanwhile many of these tiny grubs 

 probably fall an easy prey to ants of many kinds which may be 

 seen both by night as well as day crawling up and down the stems 

 of our native trees in search of food. 



In forest country, the dust-like swellings as showu on the plate 

 may be noticed on various native shrubs as Hazel [Pomaderris) , 

 Cassinia, Helichrysmn, and several species of Acacia and other plants, 

 but until Mr, Grant made the important but unpleasant discovery 

 that these grubs were destroying his apple trees, no one, so far as I 

 am jiware, had ever suspected that this moth would be added to our 

 list of formidable orchard pests. 



When a tree shows any sign of the oval-shaped swelling, shown 

 in the plate, no time should be lost, as the larvas tunnel quickly, and 

 usually work downwards, and also remain for a long time in the 

 wood. 



