7872 



Notices of New Books. 



where Z. Minos is, in many years, quite common. This year I found 

 a larva on the 21st of June, which died for want of care. But I made 

 the following description : — The larva is dark citron-yellow ; at the 

 end of each ring are two black spots, which consequently form a 

 double row of spots, between which are numerous white hairs, 

 placed on extremely fine blackish warts. Along the legs is placed, 

 in the middle of each segment, a small black spiracle, over and under 

 which are white hairs, as on the back." — P. GO. 



Observations on the Larva of Zygcena Minos, by C. F. Freyer. — 

 <c When I gave my figure of Zygaena Minos, on plate 86, I had always 

 found the larvae yellow and no other colour. However, on the 25th 

 of May, 1843, I chanced by accident to find, in a meadow near a 

 wood, a number of the white larvae of Zygaena Minos, which is very 

 like Hubner's figure, and, at the very same place, amongst them some 

 yellow larvae. They ate very properly only Pimpinella, but they also 

 bit other plants, such as thyme, &c. Of these larvae, which when I 

 found them were just full-grown, I collected considerably more than 

 a hundred, amongst them from seventeen to twenty of the yellow ones, 

 which were also rather larger. I immediately separated them, and 

 kept the white larvae and the yellow larvae in separate cages. But 

 unfortunately many, indeed most, of the larvae were infested with 

 Ichneumons or Gordii, so that in proportion to my stock of larvae I 

 obtained only a few perfect insects, which showed no further differ- 

 ences except the above mentioned characters. Only I may remark 

 this, and I consider it of some importance, that the yellow larvae 

 almost all produced females, whereas the white larvae furnished 

 mostly males and very few females. Is the difference of colour a 

 sexual character ? I may further observe that the yellow larvae had a 

 dark dorsal stripe, whereason the white or bluish white larvae no dorsal 

 stripe was perceptible. The cocoons of the yellow larvae were silvery 

 gray, some few cocoons were, however, pale yellow. The cocoons of 

 the white larvae were also much flatter, and not so vaulted as those of 

 the yellow larvae. * * * If we reflect on the difference in the colour 

 and markings of the larvae, it is of course very probable that if the 

 differences do not indicate the sexes, two species may have been con- 

 founded, although it will be difficult to find out any good points of 

 distinction in the perfect insects." — P. 59. 



Mr. Stainton, with admirable fairness, leaves every writer to speak 

 for himself, and leaves it a moot question whether in Ireland or on the 

 Continent two species of Zygaena are confounded under the name of 

 Minos. 



