REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST, 1898 231 



NOTES ON SOME OF THE INSECTS OF THE YEAR IN 

 THE STATE OF NEW YORK^ 



The present season has been characterized by the scarcity of plant 

 hce, only one or two complaints being received, whereas in 1897, reports 

 of injuries by these insects came from all quarters. The foliage of the 

 forest and shade trees appears to have suffered more than usual. In 

 Albany and other cities and towns in the state, the white marked 

 tussock moth, Notolophus leucostigmn Sm.-Abb., and the elm-leaf beetle 

 Galerucella liiteola Miiller, have been more injurious than usual. In the 

 rural districts the tent caterpillars have wrought havoc in orchard and 

 forest. 



Eriocampoides limacina Retzius. The cherry or pear-tree slug 

 causes more or less injury from year to year in New York state, specially 

 is this true of nursery stock. During the inspection of nurseries last 

 autumn, indications of its presence on pear-trees was the rule and in 

 some cases the foliage had been materially injured. Last June Thomas 

 Tupper, of Corning, N. Y., reported a serious injury by this insect to both 

 his cherry and pear trees. 



Saw toothed grain beetle.^ The following interesting case of 

 longevity in the adults of this species, Silvanus sicrinamensis Linn,, is 

 deemed worthy of record. May 26, 1896, examples of this minute beetle 

 were brought into the office by Mr S. C. Bradt of Albany. After killing 

 a few examples, the remainder were placed in a box with some flour in 

 the hope that they would continue to breed. On August 26 of that 

 same year, three individuals were transferred to clean flour in another 

 box for the purpose of closer observation. Every few days or a week, 

 the box was examined to see whether breeding had commenced, but no 

 signs of increase were visible. Two were accidentally crushed July 31, 

 1897, which was over a year from the time they had been received and 

 II months after they had been isolated. The remaining individual con- 

 tinued bright and active and finally disappeared between June 15 and 

 25, 1898. It had probably been allowed to escape by accident. This 

 latter example had been under close observation for nearly 22 months, 

 and since it was an adult when placed with its two companions in a 

 separate box, it may have been several months older. 



As a check upon this series of observations, seven beetles were confined 

 with some samp in a tightly corked vial, Sep. 4, 1896, and notes were 

 made of their condition. During the entire time there were no signs of 



a Read before a meeting of the Association of economic entomologists held at Boston, Mass., 

 August 19, 1898. A few additions have been made. 

 & Added subsequently. 



