CHONDROSTEGA. By Dr. K. Grunberg. 149 



encircle like a wreath that portion of it which^ corresponds to the liead of the larva and appears to be most 

 in need of protection. Other larvae again, e. g. Mal'tcosoma neustrid, eject a liquid into the cocoon which be- 

 comes a yellow powder when dry falling onto the pupa when the latter is attacked. Other pupae, as for instance 

 Gastropacha, are covered with a blue , , bloom", and others again are protected by the cocoon bearing humps 

 which are filled with fragments of hair, projecting above the surface and therefore being first attacked by the 

 foe, and are meant to spoil his appetite for fiu'tlier attack, before the pupa itself is even uncovered. Thus the 

 meaning of the curious cocoon of Trahali vishnou may be explained, the cocoon bearing two high humps on 

 the middle of the back with a saddle between them giving the coccon a curious camel-like appearance. 



The pupal stage of the Lasiocampids lasts almost uniformly from three to five weeks. The insects 

 emerge at all times of the day and night, but some species only come out at a certain hour. The cJcJ begin 

 to be lively soon after emerging and commence flying, so that great care must be taken to prevent them from 

 injuring themselves in the breeding cage, e. g. Dipluni loti, Tnihdla vishnou, OdoneMis hrevivenis, and Chondrn- 

 stega constantinn. 



The abundance of individuals, especially of the larvae, renders the Lasiocampids one of the families 

 most important in economic entomology. Malacosoma neustria is very injurious to fruit growing, and Dendro- 

 limus to conifers. The latter species is very difficult to fight against in the south-eastern Palearctic district, 

 where the climate is almost subtrojjical and allows the production of two broods instead of one, and where the 

 larvae do not therefore hibernate on the ground in the forests, it being impossible on that account to use glue- 

 rings. No decided results have as yet been obtained by the artificial propagation of the enemies and disease- 

 germs of the larvae. The larvae of Lasiocampids do not seem to have many enemies, apart from the parasites 

 mentioned above, as the hairs, which cause inflammation, seem to be equally offensive to both birds and rep- 

 tiles. Among the birds only the cuckoo, which has a stomach with a felty lining, appears to eat large numbers. 



The inflammation, usually slight, resulting from coming into contact with the larvae of Palearctic 

 Lasiocampids is abated by strong bases, such as ammonia, soaps, etc. According to a physician (Dr. Lang- 

 HEINZ) the hairs of the larvae penetrating vertically into the skin can be removed by painting the spot with 

 collodiwtn; on removins the coat the hairs are said to adhere to the collodion. 



1. Genus: dioii«li*OKteg;a Led. 



Small, inconspicuous species, greyish yellow to brownish grey in colour, with dense long hair. The 

 $5 without wings. Antennae of ^^ with very long and dense pectinations, and at the base a thick tuft of hair, 

 in the $ almost simple. Eyes naked or hairy. Frons with a strong lioi-ny projection ending beneath in a pointed 

 tooth and above in a strongly projecting and usually triangular plate. Clipeus with a sharp horny transverse 

 ridge. Palpi short, pendant. Wings of (^ with entire or slightly wavy margin, fringes very long. Costal margin 

 of forewing somewhat concave, inner margin straight, distal margin strongly curved. Hindwing also with 

 strongly curved distal margin. Forewing with 11 or 12 veins, 2 to 10 into the margin, 11 into the apex. ; when 12 

 veins are present 8 forked with 7 {vandalicia). Hindwing with eight veins. Cell of both wings open, disco- 

 cellular veins almost entirely obsolete. Femora with very long and dense hairs, tibiae less woolly, tarsi 

 smoothly scaled; foretarsi very long, foretibiae very short, with two end-claws, the outer one very small the 

 inner one sometimes very long. The genus only occurrs in the Mediterranean countries and Anterior Asia. 

 In the complete develoiDment of the dorsal warts the larvae resemble those of the Lymantriids and Arctiids, 

 as well as those of the Thaumetopoeids, but are distinguished by the skin being hairy between the warts, 

 and from the Thaumetopoeids also by the warts on segments 2 and 3 being placed in two rows. Segment 1 

 with two large warts and on each side two smaller ones, 2 to 11 with two anterior large warts near together 

 and two posterior small ones farther apart and several lateral ones, 12 with 4 warts in a transverse row, 13 

 with only two. 



C. vandalicia Mill. (24 a). Body dark grejdsh brown, forewing of the same colour, basal half darker, vanihiVicUi. 

 bounded on the outer side by an ill-defined light transverse band starting at the costal margin and soon becoming 

 indistinct. Hindwing lighter, smoke-grey, with darker marginal hairs. Underside of forewing grejash brown, 

 with darker costal margin, the light band only distinct at the costal margin. Hindwing with narrow light trans- 

 verse band strongly excurved in the centre. $ dark greyish brown, entirety without wings and anal tuft. Ca- 

 stile and Portugal. August and September. Larva in mountainous districts on Gramineae (Nardus), also on 

 Hypochaeris. Stout, blue-black, with small black head and velvety black dorsal spots, warts reddish brown 

 with tufts of hair. Dorsal tufts white intermixed with yellow and black, lateral hairs whitish, ventral hairs 

 dark reddish brown. Stigmata black with narrow grey edge. Thoracical legs black, ventral legs and claspers 

 yellowish. October to April. Pupates in a cocoon on the ground. 



C. pastrana Led. (24 a). ^■. Body and wings uniformly yellowish grey, with a silky gloss, densely hairy, pnalntnn. 

 $ reddish brown, outer hairs of the anal tuft of the same colour, inner ones glossy white. Coasts of the Black 



