54 



THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



„^^ 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE GRAPE-YINE : No. 3. 

 The Achemon Sphinx. 



iPMlampelus achemon, Drury.*) 

 "We herewith represent another large Grape- 

 vine-feeding insect, belonging to the great 

 Sphinx family, and which may be popularly 



[Fig 33 ] 



Colors— Green, yellow and brown. 



known as the Achemon Sphinx. It has been 

 found in almost every State where the Grape is 

 cultivated, and also occurs in Canada. It feeds 

 on the American Ivy {Ampelopsis quinquefolia) 

 with as much relish as on the Grape-vine, and 



[Fig. 



Color— Brown. 



seems to show no preference for any of the 

 different varieties of the latter. It is, however, 

 worthy of remark, that both its food-plants be- 

 long to the same botanical Family. 

 The full grown larva (Fig: . 33 «) is usually 



[Fig. 35.] 



(Colors — Pink, gi ay and brown . 



found during the latter part of August and fore 

 part of September. It measures about Si inches 



*The synonyms for this insect are Sphinx Crantor, Cramer 

 and Phoius crantor, Hnbner. The 



meaning literally ' 'fond of the vine' ' — w.as erected by Harris 

 to include this and another species, "which also feeds on the 

 Grape-vine and which we shall describe in our next num- 

 ber. We adopt Harris's name as being appropriate, and 

 best known to the American reader. 



when crawling, which operation is effected by 

 a series of sudden jerks. The third segment is 

 the largest, the second but half its size and the 

 first still smaller ,_ and when at rest the two last 

 mentioned segment^ are partly withdrawn into 

 the third as shown in our figure. The young 

 larva is green, with a long slender reddish horn 

 rising from the eleventh seg- 

 ment and curving over the 

 back, and though we have 

 found full grown specimens 

 that were equally as green 

 as the younger ones, they 

 more generally assume a pale 

 straw or reddish-brown col- 

 or, and the long recurved 

 horn is invariably reiilaced by a highly pol- 

 ished lenticular tubercle. The descriptions 

 extant of this worm are quite brief and in- 

 complete. The specimen from which our draw- 

 ing was made, was of a pale straw color 

 which deepened at the sides and finally merged 

 into a rich vandyke-brown. Aline of a,feuille- 

 niorte brown, deep and distinct on the anterioi- 

 part, but indistinct and almost effaced on the 

 posterior part of each segment, ran along the 

 back, and another line of the same color con- 

 tinuous, and with its upper edge fading gradu- 

 ally, extended along eacli side. The six scol- 

 loped spots were cream-colored; the head, 

 thoracic segments and breathing-holes inclined 

 to flesh-coloi', and the prolegs and caudal plate 

 were deep brown. The worm is covered more 

 or less with minute spots 

 which are dark on the back 

 but light and annulated at 

 the sides, while there are from 

 six to eight transverse wrink- 

 les on all but the thoracic and 

 caudal segments. 



The color of the worm, 

 when about to transform, is 

 ^ often of a most beautiful 



pink ov crimson. The chrys- 

 alis (Fig. 34 6) is formed 

 within a smooth cavity under 

 ground. It is of a dark shiny 

 mahogany-brown color, sha- 

 greened or roughened, espe- 

 cially at the anterior edge of 

 the segments on the back. 

 Unlike the Hog-caterpillar of the Vine, describ- 

 ed in our last, this insect is everywliere single- 

 brooded, the chrysalis remaining in the ground 

 through the fall, winter and spring months, and 

 producing the moth towards the latter part of 

 June. "We rather incline to believe however that 



