70 
Psyche 
[February 
SOME HITHERTO UNDESCRIBED HABITS OF MESKEA 
DYSPTERARIA GROTE. 
By Richard L. Schwartz, 
University of Texas, Austin, Texas. 
A number of lepidopterous galls were collected during the 
summer of 1923 in the stems of Abutilon incanum while the 
plants were still in foliage. When opened these galls were found 
to contain lepidopterous larvae of the internal borer type, naked 
and spotted with brown. The gall chambers were entirely free 
of excrement, yet there was no apparent opening of the gall. 
Upon careful inspection, it was discovered that there were several 
minute holes scattered over the gall and through these holes the 
tiny pellets of excrement were thrust out by the moth larvae 
after discharge. Since these early galls were immature, none of 
them were kept. 
On February 8, 1924, about thirty galls were collected from 
the dry stalks of another species of mallow, Malvaviscus drum- 
mondii near Austin. From that date on during the winter and 
early spring more galls were obtained until the total number 
collected and examined reached sixty-three. In February when 
the first galls were gathered, photographs were taken of the 
galls and caterpillars. These are shown in the accompanying 
figures (la; lb) including one case in which three larvae were so 
close together that the result was a single gall. All of the galls 
gathered were on the stems except a single one which was at- 
tached to a leaf petiole. 
Galls were broken open from time to time to observe the 
time of pupation and the first pupae were found on March 24. 
In the galls collected in February, the caterpillars had eaten out 
all the tender pith of the stems, but the hard lignified outer wall 
of the stem was not penetrated. In all the galls which contained 
pupae it was found that the larvae had cut through the hard wall 
a small, round perforation large enough to allow the mature moth 
to emerge, but the paper-like outer membrane of the stem was 
intact. The sawdust accumulated by the boring of this hole was 
piled up in both ends of the gall, and in the upper end was also 
the last larval skin. The sealed aperture is undoubtedly a 
