142 



PSYCHE. 



[September 1S91. 



HEMARIS DIFFINIS: FROM LARVAE SENT FROM MISSOURI. 



BY IDA M. ELIOT AND CAROLINE G. SOULE. 



May 30. The larvae arrived and 

 were moulting for the second time. 



Length 5-8 inch. Head pale green, round, 

 with a deep median suture, and three glau- 

 cous spots on the sutures; granulated with 

 white. Body pale green dorsally, darker on 

 the sides; venter with three brown longitu- 

 dinal lines; thickly granulated with white. 

 1st segment crowned with a transverse, 

 double row of bright yellow, raised granules, 

 which projected over the head, giving it a 

 retracted look. This segment was bluer 

 green than the others. Feet and props 

 almost white barred with dark brown. Cau- 

 dal horn long, slender, rough, bright yellow 

 at the sides of the base, blue-black elsewhere. 

 Anal shield slightly yellow at tip. Spiracles 

 deep blue black, ringed with pale blue. No 

 obliques. 



June 2, jd moult. — Length 1 1-8 inches. 

 Head clear blue-green, granulated with 

 white. Mouth-parts blue-black. Body: 1st 

 segment blue-green, crowned with trans- 

 verse, double row of yellow granules, de- 

 pressed on dorsal line. Other segments 

 white-green dorsally, very yellow-green 

 laterally, and with the venter red-brown, 

 with two longitudinal stripes of dark brown 

 which included the base of props and feet. 

 The body was thickly granulated with white, 

 yellower on the sides. Feet and props 

 brown, barred with darker brown. Caudal 

 horn long, slender, straight, sharp, rough, 

 bright yellow at sides of base, blue-black 

 elsewhere. Anal shield with a faint yellow 

 tip. Spiracles deep blue-black, with a white 

 dot in the black at top and bottom ; a pale 

 blue ring encircled the whole. No obliques. 

 June 9, 4th moult. — Like the third, except 

 in size. Length, 1 1-2 to 1 3-4 inches, vary- 

 ing in individuals. 



June 13. Stopped eating, and the 

 dorsum and head turned almost purple. 

 Spun light cocoons, fastening leaves to 

 the tin. 



June 16. Pupated. 



Pupa 1 1-8 inches long, smooth, slender, 

 with the head very pointed, and anal tip 

 very short and rough. In some specimens 

 the tongue-case was hardly to be seen, in 

 others was a flat ridge extending just beyond 

 the apex of the wings. In color the pupae 

 were of a dark brown, much lighter between 

 the segments, and almost black on the head, 

 thorax and wings. 



They were the most active pupae we 

 have ever seen . One pupa had not 

 given the imago up to Aug. S, 1S91, 

 although very lively, rolling from one 

 end of the box to the other whenever 

 the box was jarred. 



The larvae had been fed on Sym- 

 phoricarpus racemosus until they 

 reached us, but ate Lojticera tartarica 

 and L. japonica, and were fed chiefly 

 on the former. 



They had one unusual peculiarity : 

 The slender part of the caudal horn 

 was easily rubbed oft", more than half 

 the larvae losing it at some stage, and 

 regaining it at the next moult, or losing 

 it entirely during the stage before pupa- 

 tion. 



The first moth, $ , emerged July 4, 

 a second $ emerged July 6, and a 9 

 somewhat later in the day, but before 

 noon. 



