76 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Life history and habits. This species appears to be moderately 

 prolific, as one female deposited 275 eggs. The habits of the larva 



have been described by Professor Beck- 



30 caterpillars were found in a hill, some stalks of which were en- 

 tirely destroyed and in others the stalks were small, yellow and sickly. 

 The greatest injury was inflicted in the portion of the field adjoining 

 a small strip of timothy sod. It is probable that the moths flew 

 into the field from the adjacent grass, dropped their eggs and the 

 young larvae hatching therefrom caused the trouble above described. 



This is a dull, leaden gray, yellowish marked moth with a wing 

 spread of from 24 to nearly 1 inch. It appears to be rare in New 

 York State, though it has been recorded from Maine, Pennsylvania, 

 West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri and has been reported as a 

 serious pest of corn. It is one of five species which Professor 

 Webster considers responsible for extensive injuries to the grass 

 and grain lands of Ohio in 1896. 



Description of early stages. The larva has been described 

 by Dr Forbes as follows: 



Head dark chocolate-brown, slightly and irregularly rugose, with 

 long yellowish hairs ; upon the front a white S shaped mark ; 

 cervical shield yellowish, with a white median line ; anterior edge 

 whitish, and an oval black spot on the sides. Below the lateral 

 edges of the cervical shield are two hairy tubercles ; second and 

 third segments of thorax each with two rows of hairy tubercles, 

 the anterior of four, the posterior of two large quadrate spaces, 

 sometimes united in the middle. From the 4th to the 10th seg- 

 ment the hairy tubercles above the spiracles are in two transverse 

 rows of four each, those of the anterior row being quadrate with 

 rounded angles, and as large as the interspaces ; those of the pos- 

 terior row transversely elongated, about twice as long as wide. 

 Lateral tubercle of anterior row immediately above the spiracle 

 emarginate at its posterior inferior angle, on all the segments from 

 the sixth to the ninth ; on these segments a smaller tubercle behind 

 and beneath the spiracle ; and two others between the spiracle and 



^ Vs ^'^\_.<j M 'j5f wit' 1 practically as follows: The cater- 



^^^O^^'^c^^ pillars remain feeding on the tender 



*?™^&y/^^^ t inner portions of the corn, working just 



*JttV-'j£U§gr beneath the surface of the soil. Some 



, $ ! stalks are nearly girdled and the worms 



Corn root worm 



Crambus zccllus Fern. 



