LEPIDO1 ,fERA PREDATORY ON BARK-LICE. 77 



growth in ten or twelve days 5 their pupa stage lasts about the same 

 length of time, unless belated in June or July, in which case they re- 

 main in pupa until the heat moderates in August or September. The 

 caterpillars are first seen in March, but are not common until April or 

 .May. The moths are most abundant in June, but disappear in mid- 

 summer and appear again in the fall. There are at least two, and pos- 

 sibly three, broods in the spring and early summer, and one in the fall. 

 The pupa} and a few belated larv.t may be found in winter at any time. 



THE PALE DAKRUMA (D.pallida Com stock). Another species, closely 

 resembling the preceding and having similar habits, is described by 

 Professor Oomstock (Eept. Coinm. Agric. for 1879, p. 243) from gall-like 

 Coccids on Oak. From its similarity of habit this species may be ex- 

 pected to feed upon Orange Scale-insects, although it has not been actu- 

 ally observed to do so. It is known from the first species by its lighter 

 color in both the adult and larval stages. 



SCALE-EATING TiNEiD. 2 (Fig. 37.) The caterpillars of a Tineid moth 

 with habits very similar to Dakruma, are found eating various Coc- 

 cids, and have also been observed to feed 

 upon the common Long and Chaff Scales 

 on Orange. Several specimens of the 

 moth were bred in winter from larva? 

 inhabiting tightly-rolled dead leaves in- 

 volved in the webs of a social leaf -eating 



Caterpillar (Anwglis). The leaves thus FlG - 37 - -Scale-eating Tineid. (Original.) 



occupied had been infested by Scale-insects, and the scales within the 

 retreat of the larvae were all gnawed and partially devoured. 



In summer the same species is found forming silken galleries like 

 those of Dakruma upon orange branches infested with Diaspinous scales. 



The following observations of the habits were made upon several 

 larvti 1 . placed upon a twig of Orange covered with Long Scale (Mytilas. 

 pis gloverii). The Iarva3 began at once to make a tangle of web in a fork 

 of the twig, which was afterwards extended into a gallery along the 

 branch. From time to time a larva reached out and tore a scale from 

 the bark. Sometimes it devoured the whole scale, with the contained 

 insect; again it turned the scale over and ate the contents, eggs and 

 mother Coccid, retreating finally to its gallery and taking with it the 

 empty shell, which it fastened in its web. Occasionally the caterpillars 

 detached from tho bark and fastened in their web scales with their liv- 

 ing contents untouched.* From the frequent additions made to it, the 

 retreat of the caterpillars soon became entirely coated with fragments, 

 and could with difficulty be distinguished from the surrounding bark. 



* The contents of these scales were, however, sooner or later devoured. The larvae 

 also frequently gnawed into a scale at one end and pulled out and devoured the in- 

 sect, leaving the empty scale still attached to the bark. They also ate sparingly the 

 gummy exudations of the bark. 



