﻿LIFE-HISTORY 
  OF 
  AUSTRALIAN 
  MOTH-LACEWING, 
  ITHONE 
  FUSCA, 
  NEWMAN. 
  209 
  

  

  of 
  sand, 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  oviposit. 
  Eggs 
  were 
  laid 
  freely 
  in 
  the 
  sugar, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  did 
  

   not 
  stick 
  to 
  them. 
  Owing 
  to 
  their 
  white 
  colour, 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  easily 
  seen. 
  I 
  

   therefore 
  dissolved 
  the 
  sugar, 
  spoonful 
  by 
  spoonful, 
  in 
  water, 
  when 
  the 
  eggs 
  would 
  

   float 
  up, 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  out 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  brush 
  and 
  placed 
  on 
  strips 
  of 
  paper, 
  

   to 
  which 
  they 
  adhered 
  slightly. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  kept 
  for 
  a 
  month, 
  to 
  see 
  

   whether 
  this 
  treatment 
  had 
  caused 
  any 
  damage 
  ; 
  but 
  the} 
  7 
  all 
  hatched 
  out 
  quite 
  

   safely. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  female 
  varies 
  from 
  about 
  200 
  to 
  close 
  on 
  300. 
  

   From 
  2nd 
  to 
  6th 
  November 
  1918, 
  I 
  counted 
  the 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  one 
  female 
  each 
  night. 
  

   Each 
  of 
  these 
  five 
  females 
  was 
  exhausted 
  after 
  one 
  night's 
  work, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  lay 
  

   any 
  more 
  eggs 
  the 
  following 
  day. 
  The 
  counts 
  were 
  195, 
  206, 
  253, 
  242 
  and 
  289 
  

   respectively; 
  the 
  last 
  female 
  was 
  exceptionally 
  large. 
  This 
  gives 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  1,185 
  

   eggs 
  from 
  five 
  females, 
  or 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  237. 
  Each 
  female 
  worked 
  steadily 
  for 
  some 
  

   hours, 
  until 
  quite 
  exhausted 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  take 
  over 
  one 
  minute 
  to 
  

   lay 
  each 
  egg 
  and 
  roll 
  it 
  thoroughly 
  in 
  the 
  sand. 
  

  

  The 
  Egg 
  (text-fig. 
  1). 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  creamy 
  white 
  colour 
  and 
  somewhat 
  soft 
  consistency, 
  in 
  shape 
  

   broadly 
  oval 
  with 
  slightly 
  flattened 
  ends 
  ; 
  length, 
  1-7 
  mm. 
  ; 
  transverse 
  diameter, 
  

   0-9 
  mm. 
  The 
  micropyle 
  is 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  anterior 
  end, 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  minute 
  

   slightly 
  raised 
  disc-like 
  projection, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  text 
  fig. 
  la. 
  The 
  surface 
  is 
  quite 
  

   smooth, 
  without 
  any 
  sculpture 
  whatever. 
  

  

  a 
  b. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  Ithone 
  fusca, 
  Newm. 
  : 
  a, 
  two 
  eggs 
  (x 
  20) 
  showing 
  

   micropyles 
  ; 
  b, 
  larva 
  hatching 
  from 
  egg 
  ( 
  X 
  11). 
  

  

  \\ 
  Tien 
  sifted 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  sand 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  laid, 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  small 
  sand 
  cocoons, 
  mostly 
  of 
  oval 
  shape, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  quite 
  irregular, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  adhesion 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  larger 
  particles 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  Their 
  general 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  can 
  be 
  gathered 
  from 
  text-fig. 
  lb. 
  If 
  put 
  away 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  pill 
  box, 
  without 
  either 
  

   soil 
  or 
  moisture, 
  they 
  hatch 
  quite 
  readily. 
  The 
  embryonic 
  period 
  lasts 
  about 
  one 
  

   calendar 
  month. 
  The 
  emerging 
  larva 
  makes 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  egg, 
  not 
  far 
  

   from 
  the 
  end, 
  and 
  comes 
  out 
  head 
  first, 
  curving 
  over 
  on 
  itself 
  ventrally 
  as 
  it 
  emerges. 
  

   When 
  its 
  head, 
  thorax, 
  legs 
  and 
  about 
  six 
  abdominal 
  segments 
  are 
  free, 
  it 
  rests 
  for 
  

   a 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  shown 
  in 
  text-fig. 
  16. 
  Finally 
  it 
  struggles 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  

   egg-shell 
  and 
  at 
  once 
  begins 
  to 
  burrow 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  soil. 
  

  

  The 
  Larva. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  fineness 
  of 
  the 
  larval 
  exuviae 
  or 
  pellicles, 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  possible 
  

   to 
  observe 
  the 
  actual 
  series 
  of 
  ecdyses 
  of 
  the 
  larvae. 
  This 
  in 
  any 
  case 
  would 
  be 
  most 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  do, 
  as 
  they 
  all 
  take 
  place 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  soil. 
  Also, 
  as 
  great 
  changes 
  in 
  size 
  

   occur, 
  not 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  ecdysis, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  comparative 
  

  

  