66 ' [ August, 



The larva of Lobesia permixtana. — Mr. Stainton's paper on Lobesia permixtana 

 (vol. xxiv, p. 58) being still fresh in our memories, it is as well, perhaps, not to delay 

 relating my own recent experience in breeding the insect. Whilst I was beating the 

 sloe bushes on the outskirts of a wood for larvae of Corycia punctata at the end of 

 July, 1887, there fell into the umbrella two small, dark, extremely active larvae, quite 

 unlike anything I had seen before. Hoping that I had found something good, I 

 carried them home with much care. They behaved in confinement much after the 

 usual fashion of leaf-eating Micros, and when they had reached full growth, they 

 left the feeding chambers, and drawing two leaves flat together, spun between them 

 oval, slender, and closely woven cocoons of pure white silk. A moth (?) emerged 

 May 20th. The other pupa died ; in the search for the cocoons among the leaves it 

 had been accidentally torn from its cocoon, and probably injured. 



The larva is cylindrical, of moderate proportions, and tapering moderately 

 towards either extremity. The segmental divisions deeply cut ; viewed from 

 above, the profile of the segments is flat, not curved as is usually the case. 

 Head small, shining, pale brown ; thoracic plate also pale brown and shining, and 

 with a narrow grey edging behind. Anal plate not noticeable. Colour a dark puce, 

 with the spots white and small, but conspicuous. Legs black. Yery active, jumping 

 about like a Gelechia. The pupa is uniformly pale yellow, and not remarkable in 

 shape. 



It may still be questioned how far this establishes the true food-plant of the 

 insect. It would have been more satisfactory had more of the larvae been obtained, 

 for a good bit of the plant was beaten on two or three occasions, and the larvas might 

 have been expected to have fallen in some numbers, for the moth is not uncommon 

 here. Heinemann, however (as quoted by Mr. Stainton) has noticed that the moth 

 frequents sloe, and it must also be remembered that the plant is always to be found 

 in the kind of locality (woods and their outskirts) where the insect occurs. But be 

 this as it may, it is scarcely possible, I think, that Ilerr Brischke's larva mining the 

 stem of Sotidaqo virgaurea, from which lie says he bred permixtana, can be identical 

 with this leaf-feeder of the sloe ; and I suspect that one of those mistakes has oc- 

 curred here which happens at some time or other to all of us in dealing with these 

 tiny creatures. Now there is in the Sotidago here a larva corresponding very closely 

 in appearance and habits with Herr Brischke's insect, and which is, I feel sure, the 

 larva of Catoptria aspidiscana. I have not, however, reared it, for the occasion 

 when I made the attempt some years ago was a failure, and has not since been 

 repeated. In colour this larva varies from pale brown to white or yellowish-white, 

 with a pink tinge in the last skin. Head black or chestnut. A black divided plate 

 on the second, and a paler one on the anal segment. It begins by eating the flower 

 buds at the top of the plant, uniting them firmly together, and thence works its way 

 into the stem, which it mines for an inch or more. It makes up in the soil or among 

 rubbish. — John II. Wood, Tarrington, Ledbury : June, 1888. 



[In reply to an Editorial query whether the larvae of Lole.ii a permixtana really 

 did eat the sloe leaves, Dr. Wood adds : — "The larvae of permixtana certainly ate 

 the sloe, and did well upon it ; they were not full grown when taken, and no other 

 food was given them. They must also have eaten nothing else before capture, as 

 they were beaten out of a little grove of sloe bushes with no other plant intermixed." 

 —II. T. S.] 



