13 



A NEW LEPIDOPTEEOUS INSECT 

 . INJURIOUS TO VEGETATION. 



BY A. B. OROTE, BCPPALO, N. Y. 



{Bead be/ore the Am. Asso. Adv. Sci., August 30, 1877.) 



In the months of June and July the Red Pine (Pinus rcunoxa) and the White Pine 

 (Piniis Sfi-ohui'), show by the exuding pitch that they are sufferinir from the attacks of an 

 insect. The wounds occur on the main stem below the insertion of the branch. On cutting 

 into the bark the injury is found to be caused by a small larva, which, when full grown, 

 measures 16 to 18 millimetres. The head is shining chestnut brown with black mandibles. 

 The body is livid or blackish green, naked, with series of black dots, each dot giving rise to 

 a single, rather stout, bristle, The prothoracic shield is blackish. The larva has three pair 

 of thoracic or true jointed feet, and four abdominal or false feet, besides anal claspers. This 

 larva, eating on the inner side of the bark, and making furrows in the wood, causes the bleed- 

 ing which, when the depletion is excessive or continuous, and especially in the case of young 

 trees, has proved fatal. 



In July the worm spins a whitish, thin, papery cocoon in the mass of exuding pitch, 

 which seems to act as a protection to both the larva and the chrysalis. The chry.salis con- 

 tained in the cocoon is cylindrical, smooth, narrow, blackishbrowQ, about IC millimetres in 

 length. The head is pointed, there being a pronounced clypeal protuberance ; the segments 

 are unarmed ; the anal plate is provided with a row of four spines, and two others, more 

 slender, on either side of the mesial line, below the first. It gives the moth in ten to fourteen 

 days. The perfect insect expands on an average 30 millimetres. An examination of the 

 veins of the wing show that vein 7 of the primaries is wanting, while vein I is simple. On 

 the hind wing the cell is closed or very nearly so. It belongs thus to the Phjcidir, a sub- 

 family of the Pymlidde. The male antennae are bent a little at the base, the joints incon- 

 spicuous ; the maxillary palpi in the same sex are not brush-like, and the hind wings are 8 

 and not 7 veined. We may refer the moth, then, to the genus Nrplmptrry.,: Veins 3, 4- and 

 5 spring nearly together from the outer extremity of cell of the hind wings (though 5 seems 

 to be nearly independent while running clo.se to 4) ; vein 2 is not far removed from .3. On 

 the primaries veins 4 and 5 spring from a common stilk. so that we must refer the moth to 

 the sub-genus Dlori/dria of Zellcr. In colour the moth is blackisli gray, shaded with reddish 

 on the basal and terminal fields of the fore wings. There are patches or lines of raised scales 

 on the basal field and on the anterior and darker portion of the medium space. The median 

 lines are prominent, consisting of double black lines cnclo.sing pale bands. The inner line at 

 basal third is perpendicular, W-shapcil ur dentate. The outer line at apical fourth is once 

 more strongly indented below oosta. The black component lines do not seem to be more dis- 

 tinct on one side than on the other of the pale included bands or spaces. The median field is 

 blackish, becoiiiing pale towards the outer line, it shows a pale, sometimes whitish cellular spot, 

 surmounted with raised scales. It can be seen that these raised .scalos (ea.siiy lost insetting 

 the insect) accompany the median lines as well as forming tiie discal mark and 'the linear patch 

 on the basal field. The terminal edge of the wing is again pale or ruddy before the terminal 

 black line. The fringes arc blackish. The hind win-s arc pale yellowish white, shaded 

 with fuscous on costal region and more or less terminally before the blackisli terminal 

 black line ; the fringes arc dusky. Beneath thr fore wings areblacki.sh. marked with pale on 

 costa ; hind wings as on upper surface. Body blackish gray, with often a reddisli cast on 

 thorax above and on the vertex. The eyes are naked, the labial palpi long, ascending' with 

 moderate terminal joint. Tongue rather long. The gray abdomen is annulated with dirty 

 white, the legs are pale Jotted. The species differ from the European ahirtiUa by the raised 



