Sept., 1902.1 Dyar : Life-History of Ellida Caniplaga. 143 



THE LIFE-HISTORY OF ELLIDA CANIPLAGA. 



By Harrison G. Dyar. 



This species, more commonly known as Ellida gelida Grt., has 

 been a rarity in collections. Nothing has been recorded on its larva. 

 Recently Mr. George Krautwurm, of Pittsburgh, Pa., in correspon- 

 dence with the Department of Agriculture, mentioned that the larva 

 was known to him and that he could supply eggs. Dr. Howard kindly 

 turned over to me the material sent by Mr. Krautwurm and I obtained 

 the following life history. Ellida caniplaga flies very early, in April. 

 There is a partial second brood, flying at the end of June and first of 

 July, and it is these scattering individuals that usually come into the 

 hands of collectors. Mr. Krautwurm obtained some 75 pupae from 

 his lot of eggs at Pittsburgh, and none of these emerged the same 

 season. Of the 20 pupae which I obtained from a i)art of the same lot 

 of eggs, but which were raised at Washington, D. C., all but three 

 emerged the same season, or attempted to, for most of them were 

 crippled. The food plant is the linden {^Tilia americana Linn.). 

 The little larvae had hatched and were feeding on the young, unde- 

 veloped leaves when received. They rested on the backs of the 

 leaves, curled in an incomplete spiral. The dark form of the mature 

 larva is peculiarly marked. 



Egg. — Shape of two thirds of a sphere with flat base and slight 

 tendency to the conoidal form ; ochreous flesh color or pale brown, 

 not shining ; a round, translucent luteous spot at the vertex ; surface 

 finely, obscurely, hexagonally reticulate, the reticulations smaller at 

 the micropyle. Diameter i.i mm., height .7 mm. The larva issues 

 by eating a semicircular hole at one side of the vertex. 



Stage I. — Head rounded, bilobed, higher than wide, mouth 

 pointed ; erect ; shining black, mouth and base of clypeus brownish ; 

 width .4 mm. Body cylindrical, normal, feet all used, but the anal 

 pair slender; joint 12 with a large, cushion-shaped, dorsal hump; 

 joint 1 1 weak and smaller, else the segments subequal. A small, narrow, 

 transverse, cervical shield, small anal plate, the thoracic feet, leg plates 

 and tubercles shining black. Body translucent yellowish-white, the 

 food showing green ; a rounded dorsal patch on joints 3 to 10 and 12, 

 between tubercles i and ii and covering tubercles i, of dull red brown, 



