ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



173 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE GRAPE-VINE.-No. 7. 

 The American Procris: 



(Procris \^Acoloithui<] Americana. Y> 

 [From thc~Scooml Missouri Entomological Keporl. ] 



During the mouths of July and August, the 

 leaves of the Grape-vine may often be found 

 denuded of their softer parts, with nothing bnt 



[Ki-. 107.] 



^' 



y^ 



Colors — (fl) black aud vellow; (b) honey-yellow; (c) whitish; 

 (d anu e) black and orange. 



the veins, and sometimes only a few of the larger 



ribs left skeleton-like, to tell of the mischief that 



has been done. Very frequently, only portions 



of the leaf will be thus denuded, and in that 



event, if we examine such a leaf closely, we 



shall find the authors of the mischief drawn up 



ill line upon the yet leafy tissue, with their heads 



all toward the margin, cutting away with their 



little jaws and retreating as they feed. 



[Fig. : 



Colors— Black and yellow. 



These little soldier-like files are formed by 

 worms in black and yellow uniforms which 

 produce a moth popularly known as the Amer- 

 ican Procris. The eggs from which they hatch, 

 are laid iu small clusters on the underside of 

 the leaves, and while the worms are small, they 



•This is the Aijlaope americana of CU-raens, Procris nmcri- 

 cana ot Boisduval aud Harris, and Ctvnucha americana o( 

 Walker. 



leave untouched the most delicate veins of the 

 leaf, which then presents a fine net-work ap- 

 pearance, as shown at the right of Figure 108; 

 bnt when they become older and stronger they 

 devour all but the larger ribs, as at the left of 

 the figure. 



When full grown* the.sc worms disperse over 

 the vines or forsake thcin entirely, and each 

 spins for itself a small, tough, whitish, flattened 

 cocoon (Fig. 107, <•), within which, in about 

 three days, it changes to a chrysalis (Fig. 107, 

 I)), 0.30 inch long, broad, flattened and of a light 

 shiny yellowish-brown color. In about ten days 

 afterwards the moths (Fig. 107, d and e) begin 

 to issue. This little moth is the American rep- 

 resentative of the European Procris n'tis; it is 

 wholly of a black color, except the collar, which 

 is of a deep orange, and the body ends in a 

 broad fan-like, notched tuft, especially in the 

 male. The wings are of a delicate texture, 

 reminding one of crape, and when the insect is 

 at rest they generally form a perfect cross with 

 the body, the hind wings being completely hid- 

 den by the front ones, which are stretched out 

 straight at right angles, as in the genus P^ero- 

 2>horiis, to which belongs the Grape-vine Plume. 

 We have, however, on one or two occasions 

 found tho American Procris resting in the man- 

 ner shown at Figure 107, il. 



This is the only North American Grape-vine 

 feeding caterpillar which has a gregarious habit, 

 and as gregarious insects arc always more easily 

 subdued thau those ot a solitary nature, the 

 American Procris need never become very de- 

 structive. Its natural food is undoubtedly the 

 wild grape-vines of our forests, and the Virginia 

 Creeper, and Mr. J. M. Jordon, of St. Louis, 

 has noticed that while it very commonly attacks 

 the foliage of the Concord, yet it never touches 

 the Clinton and Taylor in his vineyard— a taste 

 which is remarkable and not ea.sily accounted 

 for, since the foliage of the latter kinds is more 

 tender and generally more subject to insect 

 depredations than that of the former. 



There arc two broods of this insect each year 

 with us, some of the moths from the second 

 brood of worms issuing in the fall, but the 

 greater part not leaving their cocoons till the 



•The full grown larva (Fig. 107, a) measures rather more 

 than half an inch, and tam-rs a little towards each « ml It 

 is of a sulphur-yellow color, with a transvcrsi- row ol six 

 velvety -black, prickly tufts on each ol Ilu- |.rmci|ial s.>g- 



mcnts, the lower tufts being less disUnct thiiu ili.is Ihe 



back The first segment is entirely black with -.i yellow 

 ilge, while the spots on segracuts 11 and li nsiiall\ 



one another. Head small, brown 

 usuallv hidden in the first segment r iiu 

 anteriorlv, laterally and postiricaly 'Ilu 

 of a very iiale vellow, covered with iiiiii 

 hairs, with a slight grayi.-<:i-lii-..wn tint i 

 with thelifth and seventh seirimnts paler 

 liaving the black spots scarcely visible. 



