244 



THE AMEEICAN 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Notice. — Such of our corrcapondenta ag have alreadv sent, i 

 after send, Bmall collections of insects to be named , will pit 



if any of the species 



J ironi other States than their ( 



light upon the geographical distribution of species. But to make them t 

 real value, it is requisite that we know for certain whether or not all the 

 insects in any particular list come from that particular locality, and if not , 

 from what locality they do come. 



We have lately received several small collections of insects to be named, 

 and have, so far as our time would allow, answered by letter, because a long 

 string of names is dry and uninteresting to the general reader. It requires 

 much time to conscientiously name the many lots of insects that reach us, 

 and hereafter we can take no notice of them, unless they are properly 

 mounted on entomological pins, and the locality given in which they were 

 found. At least two specimens ol each species should be sent when it is pos- 

 sible to do so, and each species should be separately numbered. When there 

 arc but few, we shall answer as heretofore in the columns of the Entomoi,- 

 OGIST, but when there are many we shall answer by mail. 



Tarantula of Texas — Z, J. Stroop, Waxahachie, 

 Ellis Co., Texas. — Tou ask whether the outline of the 

 cephalothorax is correct, and the ocelli properly placed, 

 in the figure of the Tarantula (Mygale Hentzii, Gir.), 

 which we pubUshed on page 111 of our first volume; 

 and you state that, if the figure is correct, there must 

 be two species, as the one occurring in your locality 

 differs from the figure, especially in haying the ocelU 

 arranged aioundasmall circular disk, or sessile style. 

 "We do not think there are two distinct species, for our 

 figure, which was borrowed from the Amei-ican Natural- 

 ist, is not very correct in these points; and three Mis- 

 souri specimens which we have in our cabinet, all agree 

 with your description. 



Insects of Colorado — M. W. S., Ann. Arbor, Mich. 

 —Descriptions of the Beetles of Colorado have been 

 given by Dr. Jno. L. LeConte, in the Proceedings of the 

 Philadelx^hia Academy of Natural Science . 



Ailantbus Silk-Tirorm Naturalized — "MUCH 

 ADO ABOUT Nothing "—A. S. Fuller, RidgeioooiL, N. J. 

 — The cocoons found on Ailanthus In Brooklyn, the 

 worms of which were \ery mimerous last season, so that 

 the "Tree of Heaven," though long exempt, has at last 

 become the food of worms , are actually those of the 

 Ailanthus Silk-worm {Attams eynthia, Hiibu.) It was 

 introduced into this country in 1801, and has been fully 

 exijerimentcd with since then. Dr. Moras of Balti- 

 more pubUshcd elaborate papers on the culture of this 

 worm in the Patent Office Keports for 1861-2, and five 

 years ago we made extensive expeitments with it, and 

 then and there stated our belief that its cocoon was of 

 no more value than that of some of our native silk- 

 worms.* The Ailanthus womi has since become wild, 

 and is rapidly increasing around the cities of Baltimore 

 Philadelphia, Chicago , and, as it now appears, around 

 Brooklyn. And yet a certain Prof. J. Q. A. Warren, 

 who seems to have a sort of seri-mania, is now traveling 

 over the country, and deUveriug, with an appearance of 

 originality, to the scientific academies of oiu- principal 

 cities, the same lecture which he delivered, some time 

 since, before your Farmers' Institute Club — totally ignor- 

 ing what has been done in past years, and soliciting gov- 

 ernment aid in the introduction of this worm . If this 

 should meet the Professor's eye, he will know that the 

 Ailanthus worm takes kindly to our climate without 

 legislative aid. "We would also suggest to him that 

 he had better first iiost himself as to what has been done 

 abroad by such men as Gueriu MeneviUe, and would 

 ask him whether he thinks it worth while to preach so 

 loudly, after the French have tested this insect so 

 thoroughly without any good result ? 



Frairic Farmer, April Wlhj ISCC, 



Cypress-gall — J. P. S., Savannah, Tenn.— The gaU 

 [Fig l."i3.] which occurs on the 



stems of the Cypress 

 tree, so abundant in 

 your swamps, is pro- 

 duced by a Uttle gall- 

 gnat (Ceoidomyia), and 

 as the gall is undeserib- 

 ed, we represent it at 

 Figure 153, s giving the 

 more common form; I 

 a section ; c a more ex- 

 ceptional form, and d 

 the magnified head, 

 showing breast-bone of 

 larva. From its resem- 

 blance to a miniature 

 pine-apple, it may be 

 called the Pine -apple 

 Cypress-gall, and we 

 subjoin the following 

 description of it and its architect : 



Gall (Gtivressi ananassa, N. Sp.) — Growing on the •^ 

 stems of the Cypress tree (C. thy aides). A pale 

 brown gall, sparingly covered witli a pruinescence, 

 averaging over half an inch in length, with numer- 

 ous transverse, knife-edged elevations, and in form 

 and general appearance recalling a pine-apple; some 

 specimens are smaller, more spherical, and recall 

 the appearance of an JEarly Rose potato . Evidently 

 an enlargement of the stem, the elevations corre.spond- 

 ing to the leaf-scars. A transverse section shows the 

 woody part of the stem through the axis of the gall , and 

 around it are arranged from three to eight larvK, lying 

 In the spongy mass which forms the Interior of the gall, 

 and which has the exact golden-brown color, and very 

 much the appearance of -spunk . 



Ckcidomyia C. Ananassa, N. Sp.— Zanxst— 0.07 

 long; deep orange, with a rather distinct lateral ridge, 

 and with the breast-bone clove-shaped, and very dai-k 

 brown — almost black. 

 Pa-pa — Unknown. 



Pupal integument — Non-characteristic; silvery-white, 

 vrith antenna; slightly brown ; remains attached to out- 

 side of gall. 



Imago— % 0.05-0.00 inch long, exclusive of ovipositor, 

 which, when fully extended, is as long as abdomen. ^ 

 0.04-0.05 inch long. Color bright blood-red. Antcnnic 

 brown, the two basal joints pale red; those of 2 14- 

 jointed, with joints 1 and 2 twice as stout, but together 

 only as long as 3; 3-14 very gradually less and less, each 

 twice as long as wide, shghtly constricted in middle, with 

 short whorls and short pedicel ; joint 14 with a tenninal 

 bud : those of ^ also 14-jointed, with joints more con- 

 stricted, whorls, which are rather longer than diameter 

 of joint, somewhat more conspicuous, and pedicels 

 longer. Head above and at sides black, with jet-black 

 eyes. Thorax dusky superiorly, pale red laterally and 

 beneath. Abdomen bright blood-red, verging to scar- 

 let . Legs dusky, with basal half of thighs and thochau- 

 ters paler. Wings smoky. The whole body and legs with 

 numerous hairs, and the wing- fringe long. Bred many 

 specimens which commenced issuing Ajiril 25th, and 

 are still (May 15, '70) Issuing, while some galls yet con- 

 tain larvffi. Described from 3 c? 3 g. Easily recog- 

 nized by its small size and bright red body, in contrast 

 with the black head and dusky thorax above— the red 

 color being retained even in the dried specimens. 



Insects Named— CKas. <!>. Davis, Decatur, Ills. — 

 Your insects are : No. 1, pupa of Arctia ■oirginica; No. 

 2, Dried larva skin, containing a 4-winged parasite 

 which we have often bred and which belongs to the 

 genus Bogus, but Is undescrlbed; No. 3, Arhopalm 

 rdbinim, Forster; No. 4, Lachnosterna quercina, Knoch; 

 No. 5, Euryomia inda, Linn.; No. 6, Elaphnis ruscarius, 

 Say. 



