244 



THE AMERICAN 



ANSWERS TO COERESPONDENTS. 



■ corrospondente as have alread; 



lave alreaay sent, or mav 1 

 named, will please to infor 





; particular locality, and if n 



much time to coiiscie'ntiously i 



eible to do so, and each species should be separately numbered. When there 



Tarantula, of Texas— Z. J. Stroop, Waxahachie, 

 Ellis Co., Texas.— YoMHiik whether the outline of the 

 eephalothoiax is correct, and the ocelli properly placed, 

 in the figure of the Tarantula (Mygale Hentzii, Gir.), 

 which we published on page 111 of our iirst volume; 

 and you state that, if the figure is correct, there must 

 be two species, as the one occurring in your locality 

 differs from the figure, especially in having the ocelli 

 arranged aiound a small circular disk, or sessile style. 

 Wc do not tliiuk there are two distinct species, for oiu* 

 figure, which was borrowed from the American Natural- 

 ist, is not very correct in these points; and three Mis- 

 souri specimens which we have in our cabinet, all agree 

 with your description. 



Insects of Colorado — M. W. H., Ana Arhor, Mich. 

 —Descriptions of the Beetles of Colorado have been 

 given by Dr. Jno. L. LcConte, in the Proceedings of the 

 I'hiladelphia Academy of Natural Science. 



Ailautlius Silk-ivorm IVaturalized — "Much 

 ADO ABOUT Nothing"—^. S. Fuller, Ridgmiood, N.J. 

 —The cocoons found on Ailanthus in Brooklyn, the 

 worms of which were \ery numerous last season, so that 

 the "Tree of Heaven," though long exempt, has at last 

 become the food of worms, are actually those of the 

 Ailanthus Silk-worm {Attacus cynihia, Hiibn.) It was 

 introduced into this country in 1861, and has been flilly 

 experimented with since then. Dr. Moms of Balti- 

 more published elaborate papers on the culture of this 

 wonn in the Patent Office Reports for 1861-2, and five 

 years ago we made extensive experiments with it, and 

 then and there stated our belief that its cocoon was of 

 no more value than that of some of our native silk- 

 woiTus.* The Ailanthus worm lias since become wild, 

 and is rapidly increasing around the cities of Baltimore 

 Philadelphia, Chicago, and, as it now appears, around 

 Brooklyn. And yet a certain Prof. J. Q. A. Warren, 

 who seems to have a sort of seri-mania, is now traveling 

 over tlie country, and delivering, with an appearance of 

 originality, to the scientific academies of our principal 

 cities , the same lecture which he delivered, some time 

 since, before your Farmers' Institute Club— totally ignor- 

 ing what has been done in past years, and soliciting gov- 

 ernment aid in the introduction of this worm . If this 

 should meet the Professor's eye, he will know that the 

 Ailanthus worm takes kindly to our climate witliout 

 legislative aid. We would also suggest to him that 

 he had better first post himself as to what has been done 

 abroad by such men as Guerin Meneville, and would 

 ask him whether he thinks it worth while to preach so 

 loudly, after the French have tested this insect so 

 thorouglily without any good result? 



rrahie Fcamer, April 18lh, lWi6. 



Cypress-gall—/. P. S., Savannah, Tenn.—Tbe gall 

 which occurs on the 

 stems of the Cypress 

 tree, so abundant in 

 your swamps, is pro- 

 duced by a little gall- 

 gnat (C'ecidomyia), and 

 as the gall is undescrib- 

 ed, we represent it at 

 Figure 153, a giving the 

 more common form; h 

 a section; c a more ex- 

 ceptional form, and d 

 the magnified head, 

 showing breast-bone of 

 larva. From its resem- 

 blance to a miniature 

 pine-apple, it may be 

 called the Pine -apple 

 Cypress-gall, and we 

 subjoin the following 

 description of it and its architect: 



Gall (Cupressi ananassa, N. Sp.)— Growing on the 

 stems of the Cj-press tree (C. thyoides). A pale 

 brown gall, sparingly covered with a pruinescence , 

 averaging over half an inch in length, with numer- 

 ous transverse, knife-edged elevations, and in form 

 and general appearance recalling a pine-apple; some 

 specimens are smaller, more spherical, and recall 

 the appearance of an Early Rose potato. Evidently 

 an enlargement of the stem, the elevations corre.spond"- 

 ing to the leaf-scars. A transverse section shows the 

 woodv partofthe stem through the axis of the gall, and 

 around it are arranged from three to eight larva;, lying 

 in the sponjjy mass which forms the interior of the giiU, 

 and which has the exact golden-brown color, and ^■ery 

 much the appearance of spunk, 



Cecidomyia C. Ananassa, N. Sp.— Zarm— 0.07 

 long; deep orange, with a rather distinct lateral ridge, 

 and with the breast-bone clove-shaped, and very dark 

 brown — almost black. 

 P«/)a— Unknown. 



Pupal integument — Non-oharacteristic; silvery-white, 

 with antenniu slightly brown; remains attached to out- 

 side of gall. 



lmngv^2 I'.O'i-O.Ofi inch Iniig, exclusive of ovipositor, 

 whicli', wliiii I'lilly ixtin.lr.l. i-< as liiiii; as abdomen, cj" 

 0. 04-0. n,'. inch loiiu. r,.|,ii- i.ii-lu l.|i,,Ml-i-od. Anteniue 

 brown, llir iwu li:i>:il Jnints \y.i\v it,1; those of $ 14- 

 jointcd, witli joints 1 and ■.; iwi.c a^ >tnut, but together 

 only as long as 3; 3-14 very graihuilly less mul hfss, each 

 twice as long as wide, slightly consliiVtrd in middle, with 

 short whorls and short pedicel; juint 14 with a terminal 

 bud: those of (^ al.so 14-jolntcM|. with jdints more con- 

 stricted, whorls, whiili arr rather loii-rr than diameter 

 of joint, somewhat iww i'0]is|iiruous, and pedicels 

 longer. Head alio\c and at vidi-.-< l)lai.-l;, with jet-black 

 eyes. Thorax du^Uy suiurimiy, pale red laterally and 

 beneath. Abdomen bright ljluod-red. verging to scar- 

 let . Legs dusky, with basal half of thighs and thochan- 

 ters paler. Wings smoky. The whole body and legs with 

 numerous hairs, and the win^-fringe long. Bred many 

 specimens which commenced issuing April 'ioth, ancl 

 are still (Mav l."i. 'TO) issuing, while some uulls vet con- 

 tain lar\a-. ' H.-nibed from 3 cj" 3 $. iCasilv recog- 

 nizc<l liy its >ni:\ll ^i/c• and bright red botly, in ccintrast 

 with till- lihuk lirad and dusky thorax aliovc— the red 

 color being retained even in the dried specimens. 



Insects Named — Chas. S. Davis, Decatur, Ills. — 

 Your insects are : No . 1 , pupa of Arctia rirginica; No . 

 2, Dried larva skin, containing a 4-wingcd parasite 

 which we have often bred and which belongs to the 

 genus Rogas, but is uudescribed; No. 3, Arhopalus 

 robinia, Forster; No. 4, Zachnoeierna guercina, Knocli; 

 No. 5, Euryomia inda, Linn.; No. 6, Elapfirus ruscarius, 

 Say. 



