THE ENTOMOLOCxTST. 



No. 4.] AUGUST, MDCCCLXIV. [Price 6d. 



Dencripiion. of the Larva of Acronycta Aceris. — The eggs 

 are laid in July, but whether on the leaves, twigs, or trunk of 

 the food-plant I am unable to state with any certainty. The 

 larva is full-fed in August and September, and then if an- 

 noyed rolls itself into a compact ring, with the head on one 

 side like an Inlus, and in this position it remains for a long 

 time most pertinaciously. Head as wide as the body, wider 

 than the 2nd segment; body almost uniformly cylindrical, 

 densely clothed with long hairs, which converge at the ex- 

 tremities ; along each side is a slender skinfold passing 

 immediately below the spiracles. Head black and shining, 

 with a white niai'k on the face shaped like ati inverted letter 

 V; labrum white. Body pale gray, sometimes approaching 

 to flesh-colour, and sometimes having a tinge of smoke- 

 colour, especially near the head, with a medio-dorsal series 

 of kite-shaped snow-white spots; eight of these, those on the 

 5th to the 12th segments, both inclusive, are bordered with 

 intense velvety black ; three others, those on the 2nd, 3rd 

 and 4th segments, are linear and almost confluent, but still 

 bordered by the same intense black ; on the 13lh segment 

 the black is present, but the white is wanting : the converging 

 hairs form a double series of dorsal fascicles, each composed 

 of nine fascicles and arranged on each side of the medio- 

 dorsal ornamentation just described ; these fascicles are 

 usually of a uniform dingy oi'ange-red or salmon-colour, 

 but in some specimens are uniformly ochreous-yellow ; in 

 one specimen I have examined six of these fascicles were 

 salmon-coloured, and the rest, indeed all the other hairs 

 on the body, ochreous ; spiracles black ; legs nearly black ; 

 claspers dark brown. This larva feeds on Acer pseudo- 

 platanus (sycamore), often on the loftiest branches ; also 

 on iEsculus hippocastanum (horse-chestnut), and more rarely 

 on Quercus Robur (oak) : when these beautiful and very 



VOL. II. o 



