118 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



NOTES ON THE LIFE-HISTORY OF IALMENVS 

 MYESILUS, Dbl. 



(Continued from Victorian Naturalist, vol. xii., p. 135.) 



Ovum. — As a result of further acquaintance with this insect, 

 Part i. of these notes requires slightly amending as far as the 

 deposition of the ova is concerned. They are laid in batches of 

 from one to four, usually three, on the young outside twigs of the 

 Blackwood, in the angle formed by the leaf and branch. Oc- 

 casionally they may be found singly on the dead part of a 

 damaged leaf, and more rarely on a large branch. 



The young larvae emerge through an opening cut in the de- 

 pressed apex of the egg. 



Larva. — In the young stage the larva is of a greenish-grey 

 colour, with head and tergum of first segment polished black, 

 cylindrical, with anal segments slightly flattened. A double row 

 of hairs extends along the back, and a single row along the 

 sides. 



At a later stage the larva approaches to onisciform, the ab- 

 dominal and thoracic segments become pencilled with black on 

 whitish or yellow, and a double row of oval yellow spots extends 

 along the back. The last anal segment is black, with a white 

 median band, and the others are mottled reddish brown. 



The adult larva is markedly onisciform, the abdominal segments 

 yellowish, pencilled and mottled with black and the yellow spots 

 as before. These are not all of the same size or shape, those on 

 the 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 9th being usually the most marked. The 

 first thoracic tergum is depressed and of a shining black colour, 

 the anal segments more flattened than in the earlier stage, but 

 coloured similarly. 



The food-plant of these grubs is the Blackwood, clean free- 

 grown trees of medium size in sheltered spots being preferred. 

 At Beale's Resorvoir, Wallace, the larvae were found in consider- 

 able numbers on quite small bushes, three or four feet high. 

 They rarely seek any other shelter than that afforded by lightly 

 sewing together two leaves along one edge. 



The larvae are always attended by ants— a small black variety 

 which elevates the abdomen and runs about excitedly when 

 disturbed. It seems likely that the presence of these ants is a 

 protection for the larvae. 



The larval stage lasts about a month, from the middle ot 

 November to the middle of December. 



Localities : Millbrook, Bolwarrah, Werribee River, and Beale's 

 Dam, Wallace.— W. H. F. Hill. 



