40 



MISCELLANEOUS RESULTS OF WORK OF BUREAU IX. 



THE BUR-CLOVER APHIS. 

 {Aphis medicaginis Koch.) 



This species is well known to attack both Astragalus and Aragallus. 

 as well as various other related plants, including clover, cowpea, 

 alfalfa, coffee bean (Cassia), bur-clover. Caragana arbores 

 Robinia viscosa, Melilotus italica, and Glycyrrhiza lepidota. It has 

 also been observed on oxalis. and on cotton associated with the 

 common and more destructive cotton or melon aphis. 



Certain of our correspondents have remarked on the occurrence 

 of ladybirds and ants on infested loco plants, conclusive evidence 

 in the case of the ladybirds, Hippodamki convergent Guer.. that 

 aphides were present. 



The present species has a considerable literature, having been de- 

 scribed in 1S57 and afterward- treated more or les> fully by Monell. 

 Thomas. Oestlund. Cowen. Osborn, Hunter, and Sanderson. 



A somewhat complete account of this aphis was given by Sanderson 

 in 1906,* including a consideration of its food plants and descriptions 

 of different stages as well as references to literature. Still other 

 bibliographical references have been given by Hunter." This species 

 is evidently of foreign origin and was first noticed in this country at 

 St. Louis. Mo., bv Monell in 1879. 



THE MEAL SNOUT-MOTH. 

 {Pyralis farinalis L.) 



During July. 1907. a colony of the larva of this beautiful pyralid 

 moth was observed by the writer breeding in the roots of Astragalus 

 mollissimus received from Hugo. Colo. Since the species is of cosmo- 

 politan distribution and commonly 

 found in most barns, storehouse-, and 

 even in dwellings, it can not be posi- 

 tively stated that it attacks loco roots 

 in the open, but it quite likely infests 

 the dead roots. Frequently this spe- 

 cies breeds in clover hay. after the 

 manner of the clover-hay worm/' to 

 which it is related. As a rule the 

 larva requires for its development a 

 certain amount of moisture, feeding 

 on dry material which has become 

 heated, as in the case of stored grain or -tacked hay. This specie.- is 

 shown natural size, the moth at a and the larva at b of figure 13. 

 More complete accounts of the meal snout-moth are given elsewhere. 11 



°Bul. f^'. Iowa Agr. Exp. Sta.. Tbe Aphididse of North America, 1901, p. 101. 

 h Bui. 57, Bur. Ent, U. S. Dept. Agr.. pp. 20-20. 

 c Hypsopygia {Asopia) costalis Fab. 



d £ ee Yearbook U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1894, p. 2 S 0. and Farmers' 



Bulletin 4:». pp. 10. 11. 



Fig. 13.— Meal snout-moth (Pijralis fari- 

 nalis : a. Moth: b. larva: c. chrysalis, 

 natural size: d, head of larva: e, anal 

 segment of larva: /'. tip of pupa. En- 

 larged ^author's illustration). 



