THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



No. 86.] JANUARY, MDCCCLXXI. [Price 6d. 



Description of the Larva of Tryphmna Curiisii.-r-l am by 

 no means certain what is the natural food of this species; 

 but in confinement it feeds freely on Plantago lanceolata 

 (narrow-leaved plantain) principally during the night, resting 

 in a perfectly straight position on the leaf-stalk during the 

 day, or even concealed beneath the surface of the ground. 

 The head is rather narrower than the 2nd segment, and is 

 porrected in crawling on the same plane as the body; it is 

 highly glabrous, and emits a considerable number of soft 

 flexible hairs directed forwards; the face is flattish, and there 

 is no perceptible notch on the crown : the body is almost 

 uniformly cylindrical; the three thoracic segments are however 

 decidedly more slender than the rest, especially when elon- 

 gated in the action of crawling; they are also transversely 

 wrinkled, each being divided into four sections, in addition 

 to the fold or quasi-section which intervenes between each 

 two segments ; the 12th segment is dorsally elevated, and 

 the raised portion terminates posteriorly in a square and 

 sharply-defined truncature ; there is a lateral skin-fold 

 below the spiracle, but not very conspicuous ; the anal 

 claspers are stretched out behind when at rest, and extend 

 decidedly beyond the anal flap : when annoyed the larva 

 falls from its food-plant in a compact ring, and remains in 

 that position a considerable time perfectly motionless : in 

 this position the slender hairs scattered over the body 

 become more perceptible, but are never very conspicuous ; 

 the skin is velvety. The colour of the head is a transparent 

 palish umber-brown, but variegated and reticulated with rich 

 sepia-brown ; these darker reticulated markings form two 

 quasi-crescents, the convexities of which are placed back to 

 back on the middle of the face, and two other somewhat 

 similar but smaller markings on the sides of the cheeks 

 scarcely perceptible from above; the ocelli are of the same 

 dark colour as these facial markings : the colour of the body 



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