May I, 1916 



Hyperaspis hinotata 



201 



THE LARV^ 



The larvae at the time they escape- from the &gg have the pigment 

 lacking from the head, legs, and ninth abdominal segment. They begin 

 searching at once for the terrapin scales ; and when one is found, a larva 

 enters the brood chamber through the anal cleft, where it remains during 

 the first and second instars. The first noticeable appearance of the 

 coccinellid larvae in the orchard, which occurs about June 18, coincides 

 with the beginning of reproduction of the terrapin scale. Once within 

 the brood chamber of a scale the coccinellid larva (PI. XXIV, fig. 4) preys 

 upon the new-born young of that particular scale until the end of the 

 second instar, by which time the rapidly growing coccinellid displaces 

 the scale. 



The second molt is made in the open, mostly at the base of a fruit 

 spur. In the third and fourth instars many mature scales are destroyed, 

 being displaced (PI. XXIV, fig. 5) by the coccinellid larvae as these thrust 

 their heads into the brood chambers to secure the young scales. When 

 all the old scales have been destroyed, the ladybird larvae, which now 

 have a superficial resemblance to mealy bugs, migrate to the leaves and 

 there continue to feed upon such of the scale larvae as were able to reach 

 the leaves. It is estimated that a single coccinellid larva will destroy 

 90 mature scales and 3,000 larvae. 



The length of the larval instars, together with the number of specimens 

 used in their determination, is shown in Table I. 



Table I. — Length of the larval instars of Hyperaspis binotata 



First. .. 

 Second 

 Third.. 

 Fourth. 



Number of 

 specimens. 



17 



Length of instar. 



Average. 



Minimum. 



Days. 

 2.98 



Days. 



Maximum. 



Days. 



4 



3 



4 



12 



The dates at which the respective instars occur in the field are given 

 in Table II. The first and second dates show the time of greatest abun- 

 dance; the first and last dates show the total time of occurrence for each 

 instar. 



Table II. — Sequence of the seasonal appearance of the larval instars of Hyperaspis binotata 



in the field 



