1919] Traver — Lepidopteroits Genus Depressaria 77 



earlier stages of their larval life. Five others are stem borers 

 during their lives as larvae. 



The majority of the larvae feed upon the leaves of their respective 

 food plants. Packard writes: "The larvae are extremely active 

 and feed on a variety of substances; some in rolled-up leaves of 

 composite plants, some in the leaves and others in the umbels 

 of umbelliferous plants." Sixty-seven are recorded as leaf-feeders. 

 One feeds partly upon bark and twigs. Of the six which bore into 

 stems, in only one case was mention made of the part of the plant 

 fed upon; in this, the larva fed on the stem. Hence it is doubtful 

 whether the other five may be considered to be stem feeders, or 

 whether they merely obtain shelter from the hollowed stem, coming 

 forth to feed upon other parts of the plant. Eighteen feed upon the 

 buds or flowers, while four others feed upon the fruit also, after the 

 flowers are gone. This distribution leaves practically no part of 

 the plant, except the root, which members of this genus do not use 

 for food. 



Stainton writes: "The food of the larvae is very various, some of 

 them feeding on the leaves of composite plants, others, and by far 

 the greater portion, in the umbels or on the seeds or leaves of dif- 

 ferent species of Umbellif erae ; again the larvae of two species feed 

 on the sallow, whilst the Hypericum perforatum affords a pabulum 

 to another species." Sixteen different plant families are rep- 

 resented among the food plants of the larvae of this genus. Of 

 these, Umbelliferae easily takes the lead, furnishing fifty -nine species 

 of larvae with food. Compositae stands second only in favor among 

 this group, with thirty-three larvae feeding upon it. Leguniinoseae 

 are fed upon by eleven species, Cupuliferae by four and perhaps five. 

 In one instance note was made of the fact that the imago was taken 

 from an oak, which probably means that the larvae of that species 

 feed upon the oak. Five are known to feed upon Rutaceae, two 

 upon Euphorbiaceae, two upon Hypericaceae, two upon each of the 

 families of Salicaciae and Coniferae, while the families Cistaceae, 

 Lythraceae, Rosaceae, Burseraceae, Malvaceae, Rhamnaceae and 

 Polygonaceae are likewise represented, one species of larva being 

 recorded from each of these families. 



Only three of the genus are known to be of economic importance, 

 D. heracliana is kno'WTi as the parsnip web-worm, and an account 

 of its depredations, with methods of control, may be found in 



