14 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ROSE-FEEDING TORTRICID^a). 



The Rose Leaf-tyer (Peni/iina cyanana, n.sp.) 



BV MARY E. MURTFELDT, KIRKWOOD, MO. 



The " Queen of flowers," like some queens 

 in higher orders of life, has many insidious 

 enemies. Hovering about her, in court at- 

 tire of gauzy or gaily painted wing, arc- 

 myriads of insect courtiers, all apparently 

 paying homage to the charms of her floral 

 Majesty but in reality intent only on in- 

 flicting the secret wounds from the effects 

 of which her beauty wastes and her healtli 

 declines. 



Among the numerous insects with which 

 the florist has to contend for the perfection 

 of his favorite flower, are no less (and 

 probably more) than nine species of Tor- 

 tricida, namely : Tortrix i-osaceana, Har. 

 T. furvana, Rob. T. incertana, Clem. T. 

 albiconiana, Clem, (a very distinct and con- 

 stant variety of this variable species, dis- 

 tinguished by Zeller as " var. B.") T. 

 flavidana, Clem. Cenopis reticulatana, Clem. 

 Penthina iiimbatana, Clem. Eudcmis bo- 

 trana, Schiff., and, lastly, the species of 

 which I now propose to give an account, 

 under the popular name of the " Rose I.eaf- 

 tyer" — the only one of all the species enu- 

 merated that seems to be confined to the 

 Rose. 



About the time that the leaves of the 

 roses put forth in the spring, a considerable 

 proportion will be found with the tips 

 blackened and tightly webbed together 

 with glistening white silk. If one of these 

 diseased shoots be carefully pulled apart a 

 minute larva will be disclosed eating into 

 the heart of the growing-point, not only 

 blackening and distorting the young leaves, 

 but, in most cases, destroying the incipient 

 flower bud. This insect is occasionally so 

 abundant in the locality from which I 

 write, as to devour or mar fully twenty per 

 cent, of the buds, especially of white or 

 light colored varieties. There are at least 

 three successive broods of this Leaf-tyer 

 during the season, but the later broods, at- 

 tacking plants that are in full leaf and after 

 the June roses are out of bloom, are not 

 conspicuously destructive. 



The larva is, when full grown, about half 

 an inch in length, as thick as a medium- 

 sized knitting-needle and of a glossy, dark 

 green color. When ready to change it 

 deserts the mass of webbed leaves within 

 which it fed, and constructs for its protec- 

 tion a neat case, by slitting the blade of a 

 leaf, on both sides, a little below the tip, 

 and folding and fastening the partially sev- 

 ered portion by the edges, with the upper 

 surface inside. This is lined with a web 

 of white silk and within this dainty domi- 

 cil the insect transforms to pupa. The 

 latter is of slender oval form, polished ma- 

 hogany brown color, and having the ab- 

 dominal joints provided with rows of 

 minute teeth, by which it is enabled to 

 work its way out of its case when ready to 

 give forth the moth. The moth, which 

 issues in about ten days after the change 

 to pupa, is a dark but handsome species, 

 expanding rather more than half an inch. 

 The ground-color of the front wings is 

 chocolate brown and this is profusely orna- 

 mented with an intricate pattern in dark 

 metallic blue. The hind wings and body 

 are grayish-brown with a silky lustre. 

 This pretty species is rarely attracted to 

 the light at night ; but may occasionally 

 be observed, in the day time, resting on 

 the plants it affects. It is preyed upon, 

 in the larva state, by hunting spiders and 

 by several hymenopterous parasites. 



The only practicable remedy is to keep 

 close watch for the first appearance of the 

 larvse in the spring, and kill them by pinch- 

 ing between the thumb and finger each 

 little tuft of webbed leaves that may be 

 discovered. This, if done in time, will 

 prevent the destruction of the flower bud. 

 Prpf. Fernflld of Orono, Maine — who is 

 making a specialty of our N. A. Torfricida, 

 and to whose kindness I am indebted for 

 the generic determination of this as well 

 as of many other species — informs me that 

 he found a single specimen of it in the 

 collection of the late Mr. Robinson, 

 labelled atropurpurana. No notes relating 

 to it, however, were discovered, nor has 

 any description — so far as Prof. Fernald 

 has been able to ascertain — ever been 



