THE LARCH CASE-BEARER 41 



eaten bare of green early in the spring. . . . Small larches in the 

 vicinity of Bangor and Orono which have been subjected to an attack 

 of at least three seasons died this summer from no other apparent cause 

 than the presence of great numbers of the case-bearers which kept the 

 needles eaten off. Many large larches infested by this insect look yellowish 

 and unhealthy." 



The case-bearer has been present on larches in the vicinity of Ithaca 

 for several years and undoubtedly has done considerable injury. The 

 small green leaves are devoured in early spring as fast as they push out, 

 and on many trees the green tissues are eaten out and the leaves left 

 pale and bleached in early spring (Figs. 14 and 15). Badly infested 

 trees show the effects of the work of this insect and fail to make their 

 normal growth. Many of the branches are killed outright. 



The records of this department show that complaints of injury have 

 been received from Franklin county, New York. The author has also 

 found the case-bearer in abundance on larches in the Adirondacks in the 

 vicinity of Cranberry Lake. The work of the insect was apparent on 

 the trees, but was almost overshadowed by the much more serious 

 injuries of the larch sawfly (Lygaeonematus erichsonii). 



Doctor Felt records the case-bearer in the vicinity of Albany, N. Y., 

 where he has seen it at work for several years on ornamental larches. 



THE NAME 



The larch case-bearer belongs to that large group of moths commonly 

 known as the Tineids. These moths are all small and have narrow wings 

 fringed with very long, slender scales. Although small, some of them are 

 really very beautiful, surpassing many of our larger moths in brilliancy 

 and richness of coloring. Since this species of insect infests only the larch, 

 and since the larva always lives in a case, it has very properly been given 

 the name " larch case-bearer." Its scientific name, Coleophora laricella, 

 is also very appropriate. The word " Coleophora " means bearing a 

 sheath, and the word " laricella " refers to the larch the ending " ella " 

 meaning small. Hence, we have a small case-bearer living on the larch. 



The following is the history of its scientific names: In 1827 Hiibner, 

 a German worker, named the insect Tinea laricella and figured the moth 

 and the larva. Seven years later, Treitschke, another German ento- 

 mologist, put the insect in his genus Ornix, and added the termination 

 pennella to the specific name or gyro because he thought all species belonging 

 to this genus should end with pennella. Four years after, Duponchel put 

 the insect in the genus Gracillaria, and in 1839 Zeller placed it in the genus 

 Coleophora and retained Hiibner 's specific name laricella. Under the 

 last name it still remains. 



