27 



lands uur knowledge of them is somewhat limited It is t'i<i:n 

 these caterpillars that all onr endemic Sclerodcnnus have heen 

 bred. 



Sclerodermus polynesialis Saunders. 



1 am unable to distingnisb Ashmead's S. Perkinsi from thi^ 

 species, the supposed differences being apparently due to the' 

 difference in the conditions of the specimens, the length of the 

 abdomen and the color of the sutures differing with the cnndi 

 tion of the specimen. 



If my determination is correct this is the species most 

 commonly found on Oahu and has been frequently bred h} 

 the author from wood-boring lepidopterous larvae. I have at 

 hand 19 5 of this species, all but one of which were secured in 

 the mountains back of Honolulu, one by \V. M. Giff'ard, one by 

 T). T, Fullaway, two by O. TI. Swezey and the remainilcr l)v 

 the author. I have also a single S bred out with females of 

 this species. A single 2 was taken by ]\Ir. Swezey in lao Val- 

 ley, Maui. The type locality of polynesialis was Mt. Ilalea- 

 kala. ^latii. 



The species is quite variable in size. The thorax is dark 

 piceous but the coloration of the insect is such that it seems 

 black considerably darker than any other of the species T 

 have seen from Oahu. 



There is no trace of ocelli in this species. 



Sclerodermus poecilodes Perkins. -^ 



There are before me two taken in Waialae Xui, Oahu, by 

 Mr, Swezey and two from Tantalus (Bridwell), both lots 

 associated with larvae su])posed to be those of Semnoprepia, 

 in the dead stems of Smilax. 



y 



Sclerodermus kaalae Ashmead. 



There is before me a single 9 wliich 1 doubt fully refer t.> 

 ibis species in which the head and thorax are piceous, the legs 

 and antennae brownish yellow and the abdomen appears black. 

 The margins of the tergites are testaceous but so closely aji- 



