ON THE LARVAL HABITS OF TWO SPECIES OF OUGIA 123 



finely shagreened thorax with pit-like puncture, sharply defined grooves, 

 smd the 1 5 -jointed antennae. The male is not known. Described from 

 a single female taken May 26, 1912. The gall probably occurs on 

 red oak {Quercus rubra) which grows in abundance on the summit of 

 the mountains. 



ON THE LARVAL HABITS OF TWO SPECIES OF 



OLIGIA 



(Lepidopfera, Noctuidat) 

 By HENRY BIRD 



Attention may be called to the sedge-boring habit of the larvae of two 

 Oligia species, and others likely have similar traits. As these moths are 

 rather rare, or not well shown in collections, a wider acqumntance may 

 be secured through knowledge of the food habit, and they can be readily 

 reared. Both are single brooded, and are easily found at a proper date. 



Oligia diversicolor Morrison. 



Mature larva : Rather robust for a borer, color straw yellow shaded 

 with pink dorseJly ; head smeill, brown, darkened at ocelli and mouth 

 parts, setae seem wanting, width 1 .8 mm. ; joint 1 scarcely wider than 

 head, covered dorsally by cephalic plate of concolorous body hue, plate 

 is grooved on anterior edge and bears usual setae, the feet are reduced 

 and the joint is usually retracted in segment 2, its spiracle is larger than 

 those on the middle abdominal segments; preceding the spiracle is a 

 prominent tubercular plate without seta ; joints 2 and 3 are swollen to 

 the full diameter of the succeeding rings ; joints 1 2 and I 3 again taper 

 to the small size of the head ; anaJ, and preceding plate on 1 2 large, con- 

 colorous ; on joint I 1 the spiracle is raised a little and enlarged to twice 

 the size of the others ; all spiracles black ; tubercles and setae concolor- 

 ous, weak, and indiscernible without a lens. Length, 3 1 mm. ; greatest 

 width, 5 mm. 



Distinguishing features with this larva are the aborted or reduced size 

 of joint 1 and the enlarged spiracle on II . Food plant Scripus c\)per- 

 inus, and occasionally other stout sedges. Maturity is reached July 20- 

 30, after a larval period of apparently 45 days, and the moths emerge a 

 month later. Pupation is in the ground, and the pupa is normal. The 

 larva works head downward at the base of the stem and finishes down 



