﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  2ig 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  many 
  insects 
  that 
  prey 
  upon 
  the 
  grapevine, 
  this, 
  in 
  the 
  

   winged 
  form, 
  notwithstanding 
  its 
  small 
  size, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  th'e 
  prettiest 
  and 
  

   most 
  peculiarly 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  species 
  that 
  have 
  the 
  vine 
  for 
  their 
  

   food-plant. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  ordinarily 
  very 
  destructive, 
  although 
  widely 
  distrib- 
  

   uted 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  injurious 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year. 
  The 
  present 
  season' 
  

   however, 
  State 
  Botanist 
  Peck, 
  found 
  it 
  in 
  unusual 
  abundance 
  in 
  his 
  garden 
  

   at 
  Menands, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  necessitating 
  his 
  going 
  over 
  the 
  vines 
  and 
  destroying 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  tips 
  (by 
  pinching 
  with 
  the 
  thumb 
  and 
  forefinger), 
  

   six 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  whereas 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  only 
  two 
  inspections 
  

   were 
  needed 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  under 
  control. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  was 
  unusually 
  destructive 
  in 
  Westchester 
  county, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  in 
  

  

  189 
  1, 
  as 
  appears 
  from 
  the 
  following 
  letter 
  to 
  the 
  Country 
  Gentlemaii 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  inclose 
  bud 
  and 
  leaf 
  of 
  grapevine, 
  in 
  which 
  you 
  will 
  find 
  a 
  small 
  white 
  

   hairy 
  worm, 
  which 
  in 
  its 
  first 
  stage 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  black 
  or 
  brownish, 
  and 
  

   has 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  spinning 
  a 
  web 
  and 
  gluing 
  the 
  buddmg 
  leaves 
  together. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  voracious 
  feeder, 
  and 
  soon 
  destroys 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  vines 
  and 
  

   young 
  grapes. 
  To-day, 
  I 
  sprayed 
  the 
  vines 
  with 
  whale 
  oil 
  soap 
  suds, 
  

   and 
  if 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  effective 
  in 
  destroying 
  the 
  pests, 
  I 
  will 
  try 
  Paris 
  green. 
  

   Perhaps, 
  Dr. 
  Lintner 
  can 
  give 
  the 
  name, 
  and 
  suggest 
  some 
  good 
  way 
  to 
  

   destroy 
  this 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  grape. 
  D. 
  J. 
  G. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  was 
  readily 
  identified 
  as 
  the 
  gartered 
  plume-moth, 
  Oxyptilus 
  

   periscelidactylus 
  (Fitch), 
  and 
  reply 
  was 
  made 
  giving 
  its 
  general 
  family 
  

   characters, 
  habits, 
  and 
  distribution, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  best 
  remedies. 
  

  

  Characters 
  of 
  the 
  Family. 
  

   This 
  moth 
  and 
  its 
  closely 
  related 
  species, 
  comprising 
  the 
  small 
  family 
  

   of 
  Ptej'ophoridce, 
  are 
  easily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  all 
  others, 
  by 
  their 
  wings 
  

   being 
  split 
  into 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  long 
  narrow 
  lobes. 
  From 
  this 
  peculiar 
  

   wing-structure, 
  Latreille, 
  many 
  years 
  ago, 
  termed 
  them 
  Fissipennes, 
  or 
  

   Split-wings. 
  The 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  are 
  densely 
  ciliated, 
  the 
  hind 
  

   margin 
  of 
  the 
  fore-wings, 
  and 
  the 
  fore 
  and 
  hind 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  lobes 
  of 
  

   the 
  two 
  pairs 
  of 
  wings 
  have 
  very 
  long 
  cihse. 
  The 
  long 
  slender 
  legs 
  are 
  

   provided 
  with 
  stout 
  spines 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  tibi^, 
  a 
  single 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  fore 
  

   tibia, 
  a 
  pair 
  at 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  remaining, 
  and 
  the 
  hind 
  tibiae 
  with 
  an 
  

   additional 
  pair 
  of 
  spines 
  midway 
  of 
  their 
  length. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  Moth. 
  

  

  "The 
  moth, 
  which 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  figures 
  8, 
  9, 
  -PI. 
  V, 
  is 
  an 
  elegant 
  little 
  

   insect, 
  its 
  wings 
  measuring, 
  when 
  expanded, 
  about 
  seven-tenths 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  

   across. 
  The 
  fore 
  wings 
  are 
  long 
  and 
  narrow, 
  and 
  cleft 
  down 
  the 
  middle 
  

   about 
  half-w^ay 
  to 
  their 
  base, 
  the 
  posterior 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  having 
  a 
  

  

  