126 ' [November, 



THE LAEVA OF SCOPARIA CEMBR2E. 

 BY JOHN H. WOOD, M.B. 



We are so accustomed to associate in our minds the larva? of the 

 Scoparice with mosses and lichens, that it is quite startling to find one 

 of them, like the subject of this note, feeding on Picris hieracioides, 

 a phanerogamous plant. The part of the plant attacked is the fleshy 

 tap-root, upon which, under a loose web, the larva? live either singly 

 or several together, scoring and channeling the surface, and occasion- 

 ally cutting short tunnels through it, when the root is small and 

 tender. 



The first larva was found on April 3rd, 1887, whilst I was ex- 

 amining the stems and roots of various plants growing in a disused 

 limestone quarry for anything that might turn up. A month later, 

 another solitary one was obtained, as well as four others of different 

 ages, feeding together on another root. It was astonishing how far 

 beneath the surface these small larvae — and some of them were not 

 more than three or four lines long — had managed to get. In the loose 

 ballast heaps, the Picris had rooted deeply, and as far as the plant 

 had penetrated, so far had the larva been able to follow, even to a 

 depth of five or six inches. The spinning it uses to protect itself is 

 not at all of the nature of a gallery, but is simply a weak flimsy web, 

 probably just sufficient to keep any loose particles of soil from falling 

 in ; though afterwards when reared in vessels exposed to the light, 

 they naturally spin more freely for the purpose of concealment. I 

 kept them in ordinary glasses covered with glass slides, with pieces 

 of the root tied into small bundles, that they might the more readily 

 conceal themselves. They proved most easy to rear : five moths and an 

 ichneumon coming out in the last week of June and in July. 



About this time, I learnt from Mr. Stainton that among the 

 papers of the late Mr. Buckler, was the description of some larva) 

 feeding on the roots of Tussilago farfara, that had been sent him by 

 Mr. J. Gardner, of Bartlepool, and were supposed to be this species. 

 No moth, however, was reared. That Mr. Buckler's larva was cembrce 

 there can be little doubt, from the correspondence of our respective 

 descriptions, although, as might have been expected, his more skilful 

 eye had detected some points that had escaped mine. It seemed, 

 therefore, advisable that I should make a further and more careful 

 examination of the larva ; besides, my notes of the young larva, 

 which in one important point, is quite different to the mature one, 

 were altogether deficient, and here Mr. Buckler could not help me, as 



