394 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Nov.,'17 



Outbreaks of the Elegant Looper (Philtraea elegan- 

 taria Hy. Edw.) on Privet in Louisiana (Lep.). 



By E. S. Tucker, State Agric. Exper. Sta., Baton Rouge, La. 



The occurrence of numbers of a looper caterpillar, each 

 dangling at the end of a thread of web suspended from 

 branches of Amoor privet {Ligustrum amurense), first drew 

 the writer's attention to the insect in May, 191 3, at Baton 

 Rouge, Louisiana. Close inspection of the plants revealed the 

 presence of feeding larvae, and ample evidence of their depre- 

 dations on the leaves. The privet formed a row of untrimmed 

 bushes which had grown to a height of at least 12 to 15 feet, 

 having a wide spread of branches. Owing to the distribution 

 of the larvae through the rankest growth, hardly any appreci- 

 able defoliation became noticeable until along in the following 

 June when the maximum infestation was reached. 



Pupae were readily found at every inspection made in the 

 intervals, being generally attached to the trunks and thick parts 

 of the branches, although many occurred upon posts and sides 

 of a building in close proximity to the privet growth. The 

 latter situations had been reached through the wandering of 

 several caterpillars, which, having first dropped from the 

 bushes to the ground after spinning out their threads, sought 

 the other elevations and pupated on them. From collections 

 of the pupae, adults emerged on May 30, also June 15 and 19. 



With the corresponding appearances of moths in the open, 

 eggs w^ere found deposited on leaves and stems by June 15 

 and 19. The specific name of the moth was determined as 

 Philtraea elcgantaria Hy. Edw., from specimens submitted to 

 the Federal Bureau of Entomology, through the kindness of 

 Dr. F. H. Chittenden, who likewise gave identifications of the 

 two following species of reared hymenopterous parasites. 



The parasitic attacks killed a large proportion of the pupae. 

 Of the species obtained, Chalcis ovata Say, which emerged in 

 the cages on June 9 and 19, proved to be the prevalent para- 

 site. A few Eutelus sp. matured on June 19. The former 

 enemy seemed able of itself to greatly limit the issue of moths 

 so that further infestation of the privet was reduced to but 



