June, '15] britton: a destructive European sawfly 381 



black. Cerci and tip of the last abdominal segment, orange. Legs yellow, with the 

 trochanters and basal two-thirds of the femora, brownish black. 



Female. — Wing-spread, 20 mm. (little over V4 inch). Length, 8 mm. (^/le 

 inch) . Robust, head and antennae black. Thorax coarsely punctm-ed, yellow with a 

 large shield-shaped black spot on mesothorax, extending from the anterior margin 

 and covering about two-thirds of the space between the parapsidal grooves. On 

 either side are a pair of L-shaped black marks which approach each other posteriorly. 

 Posterior margin of the mesothorax, postscutellum and prosternum, black. Ab- 

 domen yellow with dorsal surface of 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, and the anterior portion of 7th 

 segment, black. Legs yellow with the outer surface of hind femora, the apex of the 

 middle and hind tarsi, dark, 



Lophyrus similis Hartig is mentioned by Kaltenbach^ as occurring 

 with L. pini, the larvae appearing in June and the adults from July 

 to September. Judeich-Nitsche^ also include this species with L. pini, 

 L. rufus and L. palUdus and state that the full-grown larvae will each 

 devour from six to twelve needles per day, preferring the old needles. 



More recently, however, Dr. L. Reh^ places simile as a synonym of 

 pini, and states that it is one of the most important species of the 

 genus, feeding upon all kinds of conifers and having two generations 

 each year. The young larvae feed upon the edges of the needles leav- 

 ing only the midrib but later they devour the entire needles. The 

 summer brood makes cocoons on the branches of the tree, and the fall 

 generation makes cocoons on the rubbish underneath it. 



For several years Lophyrus pini has seriously damaged the pine 

 forests of Southwestern Russia,^ especially the young trees. This 

 species was particularly destructive in France^ in 1906, and it has also 

 done damage in Prussia and in Sweden. In England it is said to in- 

 jure Scotch Fir^ as well as pine."^ 



In the Connecticut nursery the larvae were found feeding upon the 

 white pine, Pinus strohus; the Austrian pine, P. laricio var. austriaca, 

 P. flexilis and P. densiflora. These trees were sprayed with lead arse- 

 nate in September. 



In Europe raking up and destroying the leaves and otber rubbish 

 under the trees in fall is recommended to destroy the cocoons. 



Spraying the foliage with arsenate of lead will also prove effective. 



It is hoped that entomologists will be on the watch for this insect 



^ Die Pfianzenfeinde, p. 700, 1874. 

 2 ForstiQsektenkunde, p. 635, 1895. 



^ Handbuch der Pflanzenkrankheiten, Die Tierischen Feinde, Dritter Band, p. 598, 

 1913. 



' Review of Apphed Entomology, Vol. I, pp. 395 and 493, 1913. 

 5 A. Barbey, Traite D'Entomologie Forestiere, p. 269, 1913. 

 ^ W. E. CoUinge, A Manual of Injurious Insects, p. 217, 1912. 

 ' E. A. Ormerod, Manual of Injurious Insects and Methods of Prevention, p. 250, 

 1890. 



5 



