214 EPHESTIA INTERPUNCTELLA. 



BPHESTIA INTERPUNCTELLA. 



Plate CLVL %. 8. 



•o 



On the 13th of July, 1872, I received from Mr. 

 Barrett eggs of Plodia interpunctella laid amongst 

 malt commings or malt dust, i. e. rootlets screened 

 away from malt. 



The egg is oval in shape, and delicately pitted all 

 over ; it is at first creamy-white, then of a dirty 

 white or greyish-white colour, semi-opaque, which 

 becomes when the egg is about to hatch more trans- 

 parent and slightly greyer. 



The newly-hatched larvas are of the same dirty white 

 colour as the eggs, having a pale brown head and 

 plate on the second segment, both shining, the body 

 being semi-opaque. 



By the 10th of September the larvae were about a 

 quarter of an inch long, and of a reddish flesh-colour, 

 eating out the interior of the malt from the husks. 



By the 6th of October they had grown to three- 

 eighths of an inch in length, of the same warm flesh- 

 colour, with brown heads and plates. 



On the 27th of December I noted that their heads 

 were partly retracted within the second segment, and 

 that the malt was much spun together with web. 

 The plate, narrow at a line distance from the front of 

 the second segment, was reddish -brown, and also 

 the head, darker brown about the mouth. The 

 spiracles were faintly outlined with brown, hardly 

 discernible. No tubercular dots were visible, though 

 their situation was indicated by the usual fine hairs, 

 rather numerous at the thirteenth segment. 



On the 3rd of April, 1873, many of the larvae were 

 active enough when disturbed, but were no bigger than 

 in December. One was spun up in a whitish web or 

 cocoon, three-eighths of an inch long, and fixed to the 

 side of the box. 



