LOCOMOTION OF THE LARVA OF CALOSOMA 

 SYCOPHANTA.* 



By A. F. Burgess. 

 Bureau of Entomology, Melrose Highlands, Mass. 



Among the interesting data in the report on "The Gypsy 

 Moth," by Forbush and Fernald, which was published by the 

 Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture in 1S96, will be found 

 a record of a series of experiments to determine the distance 

 which young gypsy moth caterpillars will travel. Seven cater- 

 pillars were used, and it was found that the distance they 

 crawled before dying ranged from 36 to 144 feet. Another 

 record of experiments conducted with another insect is given 

 on page 23 of bulletin 72 of the New York State Museum, which 

 is bulletin 19 on entomology, published in 1903. In it Dr. 

 Felt writes concerning the grape root worm that he carried on 

 "some experiments to determine the burrowing and traveling 

 power of these little creatures. One small grub was placed on 

 a piece of paper at 9.27 in the morning and its wanderings were 

 carefully traced with a pencil till 4.43 in the afternoon. The 

 little creature traveled almost continuously during the entire 

 period and showed a decided tendency to turn to the left. It 

 covered the relatively enormous distance of over 47 feet in 

 seven hours, or an average of about 2 yards an hour. The 

 grub was placed in a dry vial and under such unfavorable 

 conditions lived about three days." 



These experiments show that insect larvae are able to sur- 

 vive for a much longer time than would be expected, and to do 

 so under adverse conditions. The ability to travel until food is 

 secured being absolutely necessary to the existence of the indi- 

 vidual this factor plays a very important part in determining 

 the ability of larvae to survive, and especially is this true of. 

 predaceous forms. Our attention was strongly directed to this 

 matter in connection with the work of importing and colonizing 

 certain predaceous enemies of the gypsy and brown-tail moths 

 in Massachusetts. The ability of the larvae of Calosoma 

 sycophanta, a predatory species which has been received from 

 Europe, to travel any great distance in search of food is of para- 



• * Read at the Minneapolis meeting, Dec. 28, 1910, in joint session with the Association of Economic 



Entomologists. 



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