﻿LIFE-HISTORY 
  OF 
  AUSTRALIAN 
  MOTH-LACEWING, 
  ITHONE 
  FUSCA, 
  NEWMAN. 
  223 
  

  

  Grass-grubs 
  are 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  and 
  any 
  addition 
  to 
  

   the 
  list 
  of 
  their 
  enemies 
  should 
  be 
  very 
  welcome. 
  In 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  much 
  damage 
  

   is 
  caused 
  at 
  times 
  by 
  these 
  pests, 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  any 
  enemies 
  there 
  except 
  

   a 
  few 
  introduced 
  birds. 
  In 
  attempting 
  to 
  control 
  this 
  pest, 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  

   be 
  three 
  lines 
  of 
  attack, 
  viz., 
  Ithonidae, 
  Scoliidae 
  and 
  Thynnidae. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  

   unwise 
  to 
  rely 
  upon 
  one 
  only, 
  when 
  all 
  three 
  are 
  available. 
  One 
  must, 
  however, 
  

   take 
  into 
  consideration 
  the 
  popular 
  objection 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  any 
  new 
  large 
  

   wasp 
  into 
  a 
  country 
  devoid 
  of 
  them. 
  I 
  have 
  therefore 
  started 
  my 
  attempt 
  to 
  reduce 
  

   this 
  pest 
  by 
  introducing 
  Ithone 
  into 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  Last 
  October 
  I 
  went 
  across 
  to 
  

   Sydney, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Gallard, 
  secured, 
  as 
  already 
  related, 
  some 
  7,000 
  

   fertile 
  eggs 
  of 
  Ithone 
  fusca, 
  5,000 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  These 
  have 
  

   been 
  distributed 
  in 
  lots 
  of 
  500 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  centres 
  : 
  Wellington, 
  Auckland, 
  

   Christchurch.Wanganui, 
  Hokitika, 
  Blenheim 
  ; 
  and, 
  witiiin 
  Nelson 
  province, 
  Murchison 
  

   Mapua, 
  Richmond, 
  Tahunanui, 
  Dun 
  Mountain 
  (250). 
  Besides 
  these, 
  750 
  eggs 
  have 
  

   been 
  sown 
  in 
  specially 
  prepared 
  grass 
  plots 
  liberally 
  supplied 
  with 
  Odontria 
  grubs 
  

   in 
  the 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  Cawthron 
  Institute, 
  and 
  covered 
  over 
  with 
  bird-proof 
  netting. 
  

   These 
  will 
  be 
  opened 
  up 
  and 
  examined 
  during 
  the 
  coming 
  winter, 
  to 
  see 
  whether 
  the 
  

   Ithone 
  larvae 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  establishing 
  themselves 
  under 
  the 
  new 
  conditions 
  

   of 
  food, 
  climate 
  and 
  soil. 
  Plate 
  v 
  shows 
  these 
  plots 
  in 
  their 
  present 
  condition 
  (17th 
  

   March 
  1922), 
  with 
  the 
  Insectarium 
  in 
  the 
  background. 
  

  

  Cawthron 
  Institute, 
  Nelson, 
  N.Z. 
  

   17th 
  March, 
  1922. 
  

  

  Literature 
  Quoted. 
  

  

  Fracker, 
  S. 
  B. 
  (1915). 
  The 
  Classification 
  of 
  Lepidopterous 
  Larvae. 
  — 
  Illinois 
  Biol. 
  

  

  Monographs, 
  ii, 
  no. 
  1, 
  July 
  1915. 
  

   Tillvard, 
  R. 
  J. 
  (1919). 
  Studies 
  in 
  Australian 
  Neuroptera, 
  no 
  8. 
  Revision 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  Family 
  Ithonidae, 
  etc.— 
  Proc. 
  Linn. 
  Soc. 
  N.S.W., 
  1919, 
  xliv, 
  pt. 
  2, 
  pp. 
  414-437. 
  

  

  