Insects Injurious to the Annl 



ppie. 



101 



The (listributiuu is very wide in Knulnml, s]iecimeiis liaviui^f lieeii 

 reported from 1 )evoiisliire u]i to Yorksliire. 1 helieve it occmrs in 

 Seotlaiid, and StaiiitDii recurds it from Dublin. 



It is now, jnst it>i menlidiied by Staiiiton in TSri.j, very common 

 in the London district. In 1SS7 it was quite harmful at Kin-ston- 

 on-Thames. 



LtFE-HlSTOllY AND IT.\BITS. 



The moth appears towards the end of :\Ia\'. The female ])laces 

 her eggs on the underside of the leaves, in nmst cases close to the 

 mid rib, from whicli area tlie mine first comnieni'es. Xow and au'ain 

 it is phiced <m other ]iorts of tl/e leaf. 



In coLjur, the moth lias almost bhrck anterior wings, with a 

 briglit pale (almost white) band across each on the apical half; tlie 



Flii. S7.~yepticii/fi iii,ili'llu. 



hind wings ai'e grey and also the I'ringes. The thoi-ax is dark, and the 

 abdomen gre>'. 



In length it reaches 4 to .3 mm. 



The larval mine is at first very thin, and gradually increases in 

 size, v.'idening somewhat as the " miner " grows ; suddenl.\' it swells out 

 intcj a more blister-like area of pale hue, the exact track of the larva 

 being mai'ked by a dark line of " frass.'' The larva is pale amber- 

 yellow, witii a dark central line, sometimes lirown, at others with a 

 red tinge ; the Iiead is brown, and the body slightly hairy, ^\'hen 

 full fed it reaches about T mm., and then eats its way out of the 

 leaves from the ripper surface. 



Tlie free larva' seek shelter at the Ijasc of the lea\'es, in any 

 crevice, or even fall on to the ground, and then spin olilong o\'al 

 cocoons of dull yellowish silk. 



The second brood of moths ap>pear in early August, but some 



