On page 191,Vol.XXXII., of the Canadian Entomologist (1900), Dr. Grote describes a new species of Catocala from Texas, C. moderna, related to C. viduata. If we place this as No. 7 in our list of the former article, and push the rest one number forward, it will bring C. relicta No. 21 instead of No. 20.

Lithocolletis Scudderella F. & B.

Knowing this species only by Prof. Frey's description, I have in previous notices treated it as identical with L. salicifoliella Cham. But among the specimens submitted to me by Dr. Hagen is one of Prof. Frey's Scudderella, and being thus enabled to compare it with salicifoliella, I find that they are sufficiently distinct.

In the course of identifying the Culicidæ in the National Museum collection and those received by Mr. L. O. Howard from various correspondents, for mention in a paper which he is about to publish, entitled, “Notes on the Life-history of Culex pungens, with remarks about other Mosquitoes,” three forms were met with which elearly represent new species; and as Mr. Howard desires to exclude all matter of a purely technical nature from his paper, it was deemed abvisable to publish the new species in one of our scientific periodicals.

8. On Young Caterpillars Eating their Egg Shells.

Mr. Scudder, Butterflies, p. 101, says, after describing the way in which the caterpillar eats out of the egg: “The taste he has gained of egg-shell seems to allure him; for, strange as it may seem, although placed by the provident parent within immediate reach of choice and succulent food, he will not taste it until he has devoured the last remmant of his prison-walls. Strange food this for a new born babe! The act, however, is plainly a provision of nature by which the tender animal is rid of a sure token to his enemies of his immediate proximity.” Surely here is an error in fact, and a wrong conclusion whatever the fact may be. I read the above statement on the 25th July last, and at once went to my garden to search for eggs of Libythea Bachmanni, on Hackberry leaves. The young caterpillars of this species are green, of a shade so near that of the leaves they feed on, that it is very difficult to discover them. Even where the tip of the leaf has been eaten, and their presence is suspected, it is easy to overlook them. I found at once three eggs and one young caterpillar. The egg from which this caterpillar had come was present at the base of the leaf on the extreme tip of which the little creature rested. A hole was in its side near the top, and no more had been eaten than just enough to permit egress.

The genus Erythroneura was divided by W. L.. McAtee and later confirmed by Wm. Robinson, into several groups by the venation of the front wing. The maculata group was characterized particularly by the absence of the M-Cu cross-vein and by the base of cell M4 being angulate. In dissecting and studying the male genitalia of several hundred specimens of this group a good many undescribed forms have been found. It is the purpose of the present paper to begin a study of the entire group, redescribing named species wliere necessary and adding the new forms. Drawings and photographs have been made but will be published later.

Psylla pyricola Foerster (pear psylla) transmitted Erwinia amylovora Winslow (fireblight) in 7 of 596 tests made from 1964 to 1969 at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada. Confirmation of transmission was by symptom expression and phage increase in Pyrus test tissue.

Investigations were conducted to quantify the effects of treatment of cracked wheat, Triticum aestivum L. (Gramineae), kernels with sublethal and median-lethal concentrations of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner 1915 (Eubacteriales: Bacillaceae) on the energy use by Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) 1813 and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) 1797 larvae. Cumulative food consumption and egestion during insect development and the weight and energy values of adult insects were determined and oxygen consumption was estimated. At sublethal (4 μg/g wheat for P. interpunctella, 250 μg/g wheat for T. castaneum) and median-lethal (18 μg/g wheat for P. interpunctella, 1950 μg/g wheat for T. castaneum) concentrations, food consumption during development decreased from controls by 9.1% and 47.1%, respectively, for P. interpunctella and 14.4% and 38.2%, respectively, for T. castaneum. Egestion decreased by 9.5% and 61.5% for P. interpunctella and 19.4% and 47.3% for T. castaneum at these respective concentrations. Increasing B. thuringiensis had negative effects on food consumption and energy use by the insects. Levels of B. thuringiensis lower than required for complete control may assist in protecting grain from stored-product insects.

The posterior midgut of a seed-feeding pentatomid, Euschistus euschistoides (Vollenhoven), contains the proteinases cathepsin B and aminopeptidase. Cadiepsin B hydrolysis of benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide is activated by thiol chemicals and EDTA. Aminopeptidase hydrolysis of leucine-p-nitroanilide is activated by MgCl2 and inhibited by cysteine, glutathione, EDTA, and CaCl2. These results are similar to those obtained for cathepsin B and aminopeptidase from blood-feeding Hemiptera and support the hypothesis that catheptic proteinases are unique to this order.

During studies on blood circulation in the wings of insects it was observed incidentally that the pterostigma (“stigma” of some authors) in some insects had little in common with the similarly-termed structure in others. At the same time some of them were structurally similar to areas not generally identified as pterostigmata in the wings of other species. In view of the general recognition of pterostigmata as an obvious feature in certain insect wings, the apparent mis-interpretation of their nature, and their possible significance in wing evolution, it seems useful to comment on their structure and possible origins.

Oiketicus Townsendi. Cockerell.

1893—Dyar, Ent. News, IV., 321 note. (No name.)

1894—Dyar, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., VIII., 205 (fig. of larvel setœ).

1895—Cockerell, Bull. 15, New Mex. Agr. Ex. Sta., pl. fig. 7, 7a.

1895—Cockerell, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV., 208.

The preferred host of the cluster fly, Pollenia rudis Fab., in Ontario is reported to be the earthworm Eisenia rosea Sav. Periodic field digging revealed the immature stages of P. rudis feeding, or in close association with, E. rosea. In addition P. rudis was reared in the laboratory on E. rosea but could not be reared on any of the other species of earthworm found in the field.For the first time in North America the complete life history, along with each of the immature stages of P. rudis, is described. The differences between P. rudis from North America and those from France are indicated.Finally, the authors speculate that there are two strains, or species, of P. rudis in France: one is host-specific to the earthworm Allolobophora chlorotica Sav. and the other to E. rosea. Only the strain with E. rosea as its preferred host has as yet been reported from Canada.

In classifying several collections of Mycetophilidae I have found six species which appear to be new. In addition I wish to report two interesting variations in wing venation which I observed.

These two families immediately follow the Coccinellidæ in our lists, and are evidently related to them in many respects, the former, perhaps, the more closely, especially in tarsal strucutre. In habits there are, however, wide differences, the Coccinellidæ, as a already stated in a former paper, being chiefly aphidivorous, while the Endomychidæ and Erotylidæ are mostly fungivorous.

Attempts to maintain large cultures of the onion maggot, Hylemya antiqua (Mg.), have led to the development of special glass cages (Perron et al., 1953). Under oar laboratory conditions the lights used to obtain the degree of illumination necessary for acceptable oviposition rates raised the temperature and lowered the humidity excessively within the cage. Reasonable control of these factors was obtained by atomizing cold water into a current of air blown through the cage.

Early in the present century the balsam woolly aphid, Adelges piceae (Ratz.), was introduced accidentally into North America. The history of its development and spread in the United States and Canada has been described by Balch (1952). At the present time, the adelgid occurs in eastern Canada over approximately the southern half of New Brunswick with an extension of the range in the extreme northeastern part of the Province, throughout Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and in some areas of the southwestern and southeastern parts of Newfoundland.

The pine gall weevil has a 3-year life cycle on red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) in Michigan. Adults oviposit from June to August, depositing 1 to 10 eggs in a niche chewed in the bark of a branch internode. Larvae first emerge in August, feed as a group toward the cambium, and then radiate out along the xylem. Head capsule measurements from 1585 larvae indicate that there are three larval instars. Gall development begins in June of the second year, shortly after the larvae begin the second instar. The third instar commences in June of the third year. Pupation occurs in May of the fourth season; adult emergence follows in June. Overwintering occurs in the egg stage or in the three larval instars. Adults do not overwinter, and apparently three distinct broods occur in Michigan.