

JOURNAL OF VARIATION 



No. 5. Vol. III. May 16th, 1892. 



THE GENUS ACRONYCTA AND ITS ALLIES. 



By Dr. T. a. chapman. 



{Continued from page 76.) 



lH ^^^ "" ^ ! C-R ON YC TA (Cuspidia) aceris (contimied). — I have 

 I^^O y some notes on the arrangements of the hairs beneath 

 KM^ y ^^^ effete skin previous to moulting. How the tufts 

 imoi^mmm ^^^ j^j^j across the dorsum to the opposite side, inter- 

 lacing with those of the other side, either hair by hair 

 or in small bundles, — how the lateral bundles pass beneath 

 the larva and interlace below with those of the other side, 

 and so on, — but I have no observations at all solving the 

 difficult question that has often puzzled me in hairy larvse, 

 how the hairs get into these positions. One would suppose 

 that they must grow from their points of origin, but how do 

 they in the confined space between the two skins, pass so 

 smoothly to the other side and interlace with the others 

 accurately, with no trace of ever pushing one another aside 

 irregularly ? 



The white diamonds have four hair dots across their 

 middle and two near their posterior angles, the latter carry 

 minute pale hairs, otherwise they are free from hairs or 

 marking or hair dots. The lateral tubercles are still important 

 as hair carriers, and in this respect are not much differentiated 

 from the surrounding skin, but the trapezoidal tubercles have 

 become much less important than in previous skin and have 

 to be sought for. When disturbed, the larva curls round into 

 a solid ring, with the head buried in the hollow of the loth 

 and nth segments, yet the larva retains a very firm hold of 



