882 



LEPIDOPTEROLOGICAL NOTES. 



Protoparce celeus Hb. (Tomato worm).— Well known as destructive 

 to the foliage of both potato and tomato, but was last autumn observed 

 eating into the fruit of the tomato, six individual tomatoes in one in- 

 stance being destroyed on a single vine where growing foliage was 

 abundant, but this was scarcely eaten. The trouble was first attributed 

 to fowls and later to sparrows, but both were proven innocent by the 

 worms being surprised in the act. 



Daremma catalpce Bd. (Oatalpa Sphinx). — Besides being exceedingly 

 abundant, and the larvae very destructive to young Gatalpa trees in 

 southern Indiana, I have found the larvae also defoliating trees in the 

 forests of Arkansas in May. Mr. John B. Smith, in his recent mono- 

 graph of the Sphingidae,* does not include territory west of the Missis- 

 sippi Kiver as within the distribution of this species. 



Spilosoma virgitiicaFsbbr. (Yellow Woolly-bear). — The caterpillar was 

 observed eating holes in ripe muskmelons at La Fayette, Ind., Octo- 

 ber 15. In one instance an excavation had been made in an otherwise 

 perfect melon, over an inch in diameter, and fully half as deep. 



Mamestra legitima Grt. — Adult moth reared during spring of 1889 

 from larva found feeding within seed pod of Asclepias incarnata near 

 La Fayette, Ind., early in November, 1888. The larva appeared to sub- 

 sist upon the seeds, the pod being attached unopened to the erect plant. 



Progenia lineatella Harv. — Nearly full grown larvae observed at La 

 Fayette, Ind., October 29, 1888. 



Scoliopteryx libatrix L. — Adult moths reared at La Fayette, Ind., 

 September 24. Parasite, Ophion purgatum Say, emerged from pupae of 

 this species October 29. 



Aletia xylina Say (Cotton worm). — Adults captured in a large field of 

 red clover near La Fayette, Ind., from about August 20 to October 15, 

 1889. 



Phycis indiginella Zeller (Leaf crumpler). — From a large number of 

 larval cases, collected late in February and placed in warm quarters, 

 there emerged on March 7 two species of parasites, Remiteles variegatus 

 Ashm. and an undescribed species (So. 1092a) of Apanteles. 



Plutella cruciferarum Zeller (Cabbage Plutella). — This pest of the 

 cabbage appeared in some of the market gardens about La Fayette, 

 Ind., during May, 1889, and did serious injury. The moths emerged 

 in great abundance late in May, and about the 10th of June there ap- 

 peared great numbers of parasites — Phcvogenes discus Cress. 



Wilsonia brevivittella Clem. — Adults of this species were reared from 

 seed pods of Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis L. The larvae depre- 

 date upon the seed pods much as those of Pronuba yuccasella Riley do 

 in the seed pods of the Yucca. The larvae were first observed early in 

 September. The exact date of appearance of moths was not noted, but 

 it must have taken place very late in September, or during October. 



* Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, Vol. XV, p. 205. 



