MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 229 



Pvpn. — "Leiifith, 10-22 niiii. Body only moderately robust; shiiiiug, dark reddish brown; 

 dorsal teeth at posterior niargiu of inesotliorax, 12 iu mmiber, gradually decreasing in size from 

 the renter laterally, nearly rectangular, and without central indenture; two spines at tip of body 

 rather long and narrow, somewhat roughened, and each with an inner subapical tooth or branch, 

 iu this respect somewhat similar to the pup;e of Scliizura. The slender outer branch is irregular 

 in length and direction, which, however, is generallj' outward." 

 (EileyMS.) y ^^^'^"^"^"'^^^ 



Habits. — During liS8b a great amount of damage was done to * \^-.-.-.:::.v.^-h^'> ^v / 

 the foliage of oak forests in at least two counties of Arkansas by \ ^ .^^^^ y 



this worm, which appeared in immense numbers in January. The \/^ ^\, /9 



following extract is taken from Professor Conistock's account iu , \. ./^IauN r 



his report as United States Entomologist (Agricultural Report, \ v_L^^^/ 



1880): ^^"^^ '° 



There are jirobably two broods ol' tlie vniiable lutcrjiillar in the course Fig. 80.— I'upaut 'if. viiaiido. 



of the season, although but one, the fall brood, seems to have been noticed. 



The moths appear iu the latter part of April or in early May, and between that time and late September, when the 

 principal damage is done by the worms, there is abundant time for two broods of caterpillars. 



In the District of Columbia for the last two years these larva', have been noticed very abuudantl.y upon oak, 

 hawthorn, and basswood, and doubtless feed upon other plants. In late September they had reached their full 

 si/.e and entered the ground, where, as we gather from Jlrs. Thomas's letter, they lie most of the winter before 

 transforming. 



Professor Eiley has sent us the following notes on its habits and food plants, which ai)peare(l 

 iu our report on Forest Insects: 



Two larv;e of a ^'otodonta were found feeding on oak and persimmon, in Virginia, Juue IS, 1881'. Another one 

 was tbund Juno 20, also iu Virginia, feeding on walnut; and two more July 19, feeding on oak. fit also feeds on the 

 white, post, and laurel oak, and linden.) One of the first found larva' spun up between leaves .July 19, and another 

 one pupated on the surface of the ground .Inly 21. The first moth ia.sued August 5 and the other one August 12. 



Larva' of a second brood were again found August 30, feeding on apple aud black' birch, and another full-grown 

 one September 3, feeding on persimmon. 



Octooer 14, 1870: S. S. Rathvon describes it as injurious to the linden trees, stri]iping them and going from one 

 tree to another m the village of Lititz. near Lancaster, I'a. They went into the ground about the 1st of September. 

 The specimen he sent had fifteen large Tachina-fiy eggs attached transversely across the end aud third joints. The 

 white margin to the iilaek stripe was missing, and the dark purple dorsal band extends to stigmata on joints (i and 

 9 and to subdorsum on 4 and 11 (box 3, No. 29), also a variety in box 3, No. 53. 



October 17, 1870: Bolter found 2 under oak leaves, both of them like that I found on oak October 2, 1870. 



.\pril 30, 1871 : One has issued from an exotic oak iu Shaw's (Jardeiis [St. Louis, Mo.]. The markings are much 

 more difi'used, with a large whitish discal spot on primaries. That marked \')^ from burr oak — Mnhleman, i.ssued 

 May 25, 1871. It is a varietj' and perfectly decejitive, like 2^. unicurtiis, taking the same tubular position. 



Very abundant iu 1873. October 12, leaves falling, obtained many from post oak. Three most persistent forms 

 blown, a (4 in cage 12), 6 (11 in cage 11), c (1 in cage 10). 



July 6, 1874: The imagines have been issuing very irregularly. To-day I sieved the cages, and especially 17, 

 in which there were a number of all three forms. They now are all alike, and the head is the only characteristic 

 part. All the color is gone from the body, which is now of a uniform paris green, more or less mottled with a pale 

 and dark shade, the vascular line dark aud broken. Many of these are now crawling about quite actively, while 

 others are in the pupa state and others issuing. They were all in a very slight elastic silken cocoon. 



September 20, 1874: A number of nil sizes on oak, sejiai-ated into three lots — a. in cage 12; b, m cage 10; r, in 

 cage 5. They are very varialjle, and there are specimens iiiternuMliate between these three forms. Some have the 

 colors very bright aud distinct, and others less so. A. lot found on linden, but afterwards feeding well on oak, are 

 all of the light form a in cage 13. 



November 21, 1874: Iu sieving the cages containing tVums a, Ii, and c, they were found still in the larval state, 

 some having made a tougli silken cocoon, others made one only of a few threads, while some had no cocoons at all, 

 but had made a smooth cavity iu the earth. In cage 5 were found two large Tachiuii larv.Tj, certainly from form c, 

 one of which is preserved in box 7-40. AjJiil 10, 1875, one Tachina fly issued, marked 359 '. One moth issued April 

 IG, 1875, the larva of which was found on linden, but fed also on oak in cage 13, where there are many more in the 

 ground. Braconid parasite bred October, 1874. October 26, 1875: Nine from oak, all near form b. 



" Egf/s in August, Larva' in April, .lune. .Tuly, September, and October (winter as larva', transforming sometimes 

 as late as July). Adults in April, May, June. July, .\ugust.'' (Riley MS.) 



Food pUmis. — Diil'ereut species of oak, including the white, post, burr, and laurel oak; 

 hawthorn, basswood, persimmon, walnut, apple, black birch; iu Georgia it lives on Piuckncya 

 pubcHS (Abbot's ^IS. drawings, Gray copy, Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist.); liudeu, oak (Kiley MS). 



