INSECTS AFFECTING PARK AXD WOODLAND TREES 47 1 



Three banded clearwing 



Meniytlints /r/c/iu/iis Ilarris 



A bl.ick (learwiii!^ niolh witli three conspicuous yellow abdominal hands lives in the 

 larval stage in Saperda galls on willow and po]dar. 



This horer attacks the small trunks of willows antl pojjlars, and the 

 moth has been bred from the galls of Saperda con color Lee. It 

 occurs in Canada, New I-lngland and the; Middle States westward to Ohio 

 and Michigan. l)r I). .S. Kellicott, in writing of this insect, states that he 

 took larvae from the branches, suckers and small trunks of the balm of 

 Gilead, P o p u 1 u s c a n d i c a n s, growing on lowlands along the Niagara 

 river below HuHalo. The smaller grid>s were sometimes found in the 

 sapwootl or just beneath the bark, but the larger ones were generally in the 

 center or ])ith of the stems. They cause considerable swellings on the 

 small I)ranches, which are fre([uently as prominent as those made on willow 

 branches by a tortrix larva, which he found very abundant in the .same 

 locality. Ur Kellicott was of the o]jinion that the adidt deposited her eggs 

 in the deserted burrows of -Saperda moesta Lee, thus permitting the 

 young caterpillars to easily gain access to the wood, its home for at least a 

 year. The -Saperda galls become more enlarged by llie attacks of this insect. 



Description. Male. Head black, collar yellow in front antl at each side 

 behind ; palpi black, yellow inside toward?: the tip. Antennae blue black 

 above, ferruginous beneath. Thora.\ black, with a yellow spot at the base 

 of the fore wings and one on each side posteriorly. Abdomen black, with 

 a slight bluish reflection. Second, fourth and last two segments with a 

 yellow band above and below. Anal tuft black. Legs black, middle and 

 hind tibiae partly orange, the latter yellow inside ; tarsi orange. Fore 

 wings opaque, violet black with a short transparent streak at the base ; 

 inner margin streaked with red at the base, sometimes also along the costa 

 for a short distance ; underside yellow at the base. Hind wings trans- 

 parent, with a narrow outer margin and discal mark violet black, as are also 

 the veins. Underside wifh discal mark and costal margin orange red or 

 same as above. 



Female. Like the male, but with only three yellow bands on the abdo- 

 men instead of four, one on each of the second, fourth and si.xth segments. 



Expanse, male and female, 25-28 mm. Bcutcnmullcr 



