THE GRAPE-LEAF SKELETON IZER. 87 



When the hu-va> are full cfrowii they seek some secluded place in 

 which to pupate, usually spinning- their cocoons on fallen leaves or 

 in trash around the vine, or, when confined, to the sides of the cage. 

 The period covered by one <rroup of larva' in spinning their cocoons 

 will vary from 1 to 2 weeks, although the time re(piired for the for- 

 mation of each individual is not more than '2 or 3 days. 



The winter is passed in the cocoon, the insect being in the pupal 



stage. 



IDENTITY. 



The slight variation in appearance of the moths and the differently 

 marked larva? bring np the question of identity. Dyar " thinlvs there 

 is little difference between the moths of Harrisina americana and 

 those of H. texana which Stretch separated by the presence of an- 

 other vein, because moths of both kinds were taken together in the 

 same locality. He found, however, two kinds of larva', those of H. 

 texana having the dorsum of joints 2-13 broadly bright-yellow, and 

 banded between each joint Avith blackish and again across the middle 

 of each, including the Avarts, with purple-brown. The larva' of Ilar- 

 risina australis were similar to those of H. texana. He further says, 

 " If it were not for the two kinds of larva*, I Avould not hold these 

 three forms separate." Credit is dne to Dr. H. G. Dyar, of this 

 Bureau, for examining all of the material in the Bureau collection 

 and for determining it all as belonging to one species, Ilari'isina 

 a^nerleana Guer. 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 



Up to the present time only one parasite had been recorded from 

 this insect, namely, the chalcidid Perilampn.s platygastcr Say, Avliich 

 Riley mentions as being a parasite of the larva. This summer, how- 

 ever, the writer reared a little hymenopterous parasite Avhich was de- 

 termined by Mr. J. C. Crawford, of the U. S. National Museum, as a 

 braconid. Gh/pta panicles sp., and also an ichneumon, Limneria sp., 

 w hich was reared from larva' sent in by C. M. Streeter, Dalton, Pa. 



REMEDIES. 



"While the insect has never proved a serious pest in large vinej^ards, 

 and is usually more troublesome in gardens or back yards where there 

 are only a few vines, it has been found sufficiently numerous at 

 times to demand attention and remedial measures. 



The gi'egarious feeding habit of the larva? makes hand-picking in 

 small areas the most efficient treatment, as one person can go over a 

 large number of vines in a short time and destroy a very large num- 

 ber of the larva\ since they will be found in large groups upon the 



" Proceediugs of the Entomological Society of Washington, Vol, V, p. 320, 



