138 FIKST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ber, until within a few days of its appearance as a moth.* I had never 

 known it to occur among the Pyralidm, nor could any notice of its 

 occurrence be found in a thorough search through the literature of the 

 family, both European and American. Professor Riley, however, has 

 informed me, that he had observed it in some species of Botys. That 

 it was not a family characteristic, or that it does not necessarily control 

 all the species of a numerous genus, appears in the fact above stated of 

 the prompt transformation to the pupa and thence to the imago of 

 Cr ambus exsiccatus — a species in which the larva so closely resembles 

 those of which we are writing, that, when seen apart, it was believed to 

 be the same, f 



On the 8th of August ten of the cocoons were opened. Of these 

 four were empty — the larvas probabiy having deserted them in con- 

 sequence of the disturbance attending their removal from the soil and 

 their transportation to me, for, when received, several of the larvae 

 were wandering among the cocoons. The other six cocoons contained 

 pupae; and the pupation of all the rest at this time was accepted, in 

 preference to sacrificing a larger number in further examination. 



The Pupa. 

 The pupa, in each instance, was lying in the upper and loose end of 

 the cocoon, in convenient position for its egress. Fig. 32 

 shows its general appearance, but gives too great a relative 

 breadth across its wing-cases. In length it measures from 

 0.35 inch to 0.45 inch — average of six examples, 0.408 inch ; 

 average greatest diameter, 0.1 inch. Its color is pale brown. 

 The females are ovoid in form, with the segments showing 

 indistinctly ; the males are cylindro-conical with well-defined 

 —Pupa of and rounded segments. Head-case projected at the tip, and 

 vuLGivA- eye-cases prominent. Tips of wing-covers rounding over the 

 G ELL us, segment, the inner wing-cover showing its margin evermore 

 ° ^^^^ ' than three segments. The stigmata appear as minute tuber- 

 cles. Anal tip, dark brown, blunt and slightly excavated beneath. 

 The Species Determined. 

 On the 6th of August the first moth was disclosed from my Water- 

 town cocoons. Professor Eiley, at "Washington, had obtained examples 



*According to Mr. S. L. Elliot, of New York city, this species matures and enters the 

 ground in June, where it remains as a larva until in October, when it pupates, and the 

 moth is disclosed twenty days thereafter. 



tin some of the other orders, there are interesting cases of delayed pupation. In the 

 Diptera, Diplosis tritiei and " all the numerous willow gallgnats belonging to the same ge- 

 nus {Cecidom,yia\, remain in the larva state without eating all through the winter, and until a 

 few weeks of the time when the perfect midge is destined to appear, i.e., with this particu- 

 lar species [D. tritiei], until some timeiu May {W a\?,\\, Practical Entomologist, ii, 1867, p. 99). 



Among the Hymenoptera, Cimhej^ Americana, the largest of our saw-flies, occurring on 

 the elm and willow, spins up in July and remains as a larva until the following spring. 

 (Id., ib., p. 101.) 



