Eighth Report of the State Entomologist. 



173 



Telephorus Pbilineatus (Say); 

 Occurring on Snow. 

 A remarkable occurrence of the larva of what is believed to be the 

 above named insect, was reported by Mr, Holdredge, of Center, Herkimer 

 county, N. Y., through Mr. Daniel Batchelor, of Utica, N. Y. 



Mr. Holdredge's statement is, that on or near the 10th of February 

 last (1891), during a rain, the insects " fell " by millions on his farm and 

 upon the adjoining one, owned by Mr. Morgan. For the distance of a 

 half mile and for about twelve rods in width, the snow was literally 

 alive and black with "the worms," while beyond this strip in every 

 direction, they were quite, but less, abundant. They were seen to travel 

 about for a day or tAvo, while some of them penetrated into the snow, 

 and others were frozen stiff on the surface. Some of the frozen ones 

 were taken into his house, where exposed to warmth, they became active 

 and quite lively again. 



Examples of the larva? sent me were submitted to Dr. Riley, and were 

 identified by him as those of Telephorus 

 "l\^^ j M ^' MSt, i>il^^^o,tiis, with the possibility of their being 

 H^a^ JM rp Carolinus (Fabr.), the northern repre- 

 sentative of the genus. While according 

 veiy well with the former, there appeared 

 some slight differences in the density of the 

 , . , X, A A velvety covering. Figure 25 (after Riley), 



a, larva, natural size; 6, head and _ •' . . " ' 



anterior segments enlarged; c, illustrates the insect, and Figure 26 (after 

 the beetle, natural size. Packard), the larval head and prothorax 



from above and below. 

 The explanation of the larvre appearing on the snow would be, that 

 they were drawn from the ground by the [warm?] rain, and with the 

 change of rain into snow, ^^ '^ 



thej' continued, with its 

 increasing depth to ,y;/ v; ,viv 



mount to the surface, as 

 other larva? have been 

 known to do. (See the 

 account of the occur- 

 rence of the bronze- 

 colored cut-worm, 

 Nephelodes viola n s 

 Guen., on snow, in Can- 

 ada, and in tSullivan Fi<^' 2e.— Head and prothoraclc segment, from above and 

 , -vT -\7- 1 i J • below of Telephorus bilinkatus. 



county, IN. v., related in 



the Fourth Report on the Insects of JVew York, 1888, pp. 54-56.) 



Fig. 25.— Telephorus bilineatus: 



