﻿ADKINIA 
  ZOPHODACTYLUS. 
  323 
  

  

  the 
  larva 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  although 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  note 
  stating 
  

   that, 
  until 
  the 
  second 
  moult, 
  the 
  young 
  larvae 
  mine 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  food- 
  

   plant 
  (W. 
  H. 
  B.Fletcher). 
  In 
  the 
  earliest 
  days 
  of 
  July, 
  when 
  the 
  flower- 
  

   buds 
  of 
  Erythraea 
  centaurium, 
  are 
  commencing 
  to 
  unfold, 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  to 
  

   be 
  found, 
  and 
  continue 
  from 
  this 
  time 
  onwards, 
  almost 
  without 
  break, 
  until 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  September. 
  Bankes 
  says 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  that, 
  when 
  quite 
  young, 
  the 
  

   larvae 
  are 
  most 
  difficult 
  to 
  find, 
  living 
  concealed, 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  inside 
  the 
  

   very 
  small 
  flower- 
  buds, 
  and 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  internal 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  bud, 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  young 
  seed-vessel 
  below 
  it 
  ; 
  they 
  move 
  readily 
  from 
  one 
  flower-bud 
  

   to 
  another, 
  entering 
  the 
  fresh 
  one 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  an 
  inconspicuous 
  hole 
  

   bored 
  through 
  its 
  side. 
  The 
  affected 
  bud 
  generally 
  shows 
  some 
  

   yellowish 
  discoloration 
  at 
  the 
  tip. 
  The 
  larvae 
  of 
  medium 
  size 
  feed 
  

   inside 
  the 
  pink 
  {i.e., 
  the 
  larger) 
  flower-buds, 
  their 
  entrance 
  holes 
  being 
  

   more 
  noticeable 
  than 
  before, 
  but, 
  when 
  too 
  large 
  to 
  dwell 
  comfortably 
  

   therein 
  any 
  longer, 
  they 
  live 
  externally, 
  feeding 
  either 
  upon 
  the 
  

   flowers, 
  or 
  upon 
  the 
  unripe 
  seeds, 
  which 
  are 
  reached 
  by 
  boring 
  holes 
  

   through 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  seed-vessels. 
  These, 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   are 
  fond 
  of 
  resting, 
  have, 
  by 
  this 
  time, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  stalks 
  and 
  

   leaves, 
  already 
  turned 
  rather 
  yellow. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  case, 
  where 
  he 
  finds 
  

   the 
  larva, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  July 
  ; 
  the 
  larvae, 
  whose 
  colour 
  

   admirably 
  matches 
  theirs, 
  being 
  thereby 
  rendered 
  very 
  inconspicuous 
  

   upon 
  them. 
  Bacot 
  says 
  (in 
  litt.) 
  that 
  the 
  newly-hatched 
  larva 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  brood 
  eats 
  a 
  minute 
  hole 
  through 
  the 
  thin, 
  papery, 
  outer 
  covering 
  

   of 
  the 
  seed-capsule, 
  and 
  may 
  eat 
  a 
  little 
  beneath 
  this 
  before 
  progressing 
  

   further, 
  but, 
  in 
  most 
  cases, 
  it 
  bores 
  directly 
  into 
  the 
  seed-capsule, 
  

   leaving 
  so 
  slight 
  a 
  sign 
  of 
  its 
  entrance, 
  that 
  very 
  careful 
  search 
  is 
  

   needed 
  to 
  discover 
  it. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  seeds 
  at 
  first 
  ; 
  

   at 
  any 
  rate, 
  the 
  youngest 
  found 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  mining 
  vertically 
  up 
  

   the 
  suture, 
  or 
  seam, 
  that 
  divides 
  the 
  central 
  partition 
  of 
  the 
  seed-case, 
  

   but 
  it 
  evidently 
  starts 
  on 
  the 
  seeds 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  moult. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  July, 
  and 
  in 
  early 
  August, 
  1904, 
  young 
  larvae 
  were 
  already 
  well 
  

   advanced, 
  and, 
  by 
  August 
  8th, 
  the 
  seed-heads 
  of 
  centaury, 
  on 
  which 
  

   eggs 
  had 
  been 
  laid 
  in 
  mid- 
  July, 
  contained 
  larvae, 
  some 
  in 
  their 
  1st, 
  

   others 
  in 
  their 
  2nd, 
  instar, 
  and 
  yet 
  others 
  more 
  than 
  half-grown 
  

   (probably 
  in 
  their 
  4th 
  instar), 
  whilst 
  the 
  seed-pods 
  showed 
  no 
  signs 
  

   of 
  feeding 
  larvae 
  unless 
  held 
  against 
  a 
  strong 
  light. 
  At 
  this 
  date 
  

   well-grown 
  larvae 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  Erythraea 
  heads, 
  collected 
  July 
  30th, 
  

   at 
  Broxbourne, 
  ten 
  larvae 
  being 
  then 
  detected 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  careful 
  

   examination. 
  [On 
  the 
  same 
  date, 
  Whittle 
  writes 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  two 
  larva 
  

   spun 
  up 
  for 
  pupation 
  on 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  the 
  foodplant, 
  picked 
  three 
  days 
  

   previously, 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  larvse 
  earlier.] 
  From 
  this 
  time 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  fed 
  up 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  pace 
  ; 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  larvae 
  emerged 
  from 
  

   the 
  seed-heads 
  when 
  from 
  5mm. 
  to 
  7mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  Eed 
  exposed, 
  

   spinning 
  a 
  slight 
  silken 
  web, 
  that 
  drew 
  together 
  several 
  florets 
  round 
  

   themselves, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  moulting. 
  They 
  appear 
  to 
  rest 
  among 
  

   the 
  buds, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  stem 
  directly 
  beneath. 
  The 
  larva 
  is 
  particularly 
  

   quiet 
  under 
  examination, 
  and, 
  if 
  not 
  about 
  to 
  moult, 
  rests 
  with 
  its 
  head 
  

   partly 
  retracted 
  and 
  turned 
  downwards, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   observe, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  position 
  bears 
  a 
  strong 
  general 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  

   larva 
  of 
  Adactylus 
  bennetii. 
  The 
  largest 
  o( 
  these 
  Larvse 
  began 
  to 
  spin 
  up 
  

   for 
  pupation 
  on 
  August 
  12th 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  days, 
  ami 
  the 
  first 
  pupated 
  

   apparently 
  on 
  the 
  17th 
  ; 
  by 
  the 
  20th 
  many 
  had 
  spun 
  up. 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  

   moth 
  appeared 
  on 
  August 
  27th, 
  the 
  last 
  about 
  September 
  20th 
  (Bacot). 
  

  

  