Cambridge Entomological Club, 1874
PSYCHE

A Journal of Entomology

founded in 1874 by the Cambridge Entomological Club
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Article beginning on page 135.
Psyche 5:135-136, 1888.

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November-December 1888.1 PSYCHE. 135
Carolina, Florida and the Bahama
Islands . . . by Marc Catesby. Lon-
don. Innys. fol. Vol. I, 1731 ; Vol. 2,
1743, tab. zoo. Appendix 1748 ; tab.
20.
Edition
2 by George Edwards. Lon-
don, 1754,
"
3 by George Edwards. Lon-
don, 1771.
Vol. I. pi. 8 Gryllotalpa columbia
Scudd.
35 Ecpantheria oculatissima
S. & A.
66 A fly ; not recognizable,
Vol. 2. pi. 83 Papilio turnus Linn.
84 Attacus luna Linn.
86 " cecropiaLinn.
and cocoon.
88 Danaus plexippus Linn.
89 Oedipoda carolina De
Gees.
90 Attacus cecropia Linn.
91 A. polpyhemus Cram.
94 Eacles imperialis Drury.
Larva.
95 Thais rumina Linn.
96 Deiopeia bella Linn.
97 Papilio turnus Linn.
loo 'b marcellus B. & L.
Appdx, pi. 4 Thalessa strata Fabr.
5 Pelopoeuscaeruleus Linn.
10 f. 3 Pulex penetrans Linn.
4 A beetle I have n(5t
been able to iden-
tify.
5 Blatta americanaLinn.
9 " ? not known to
me.
7 SilphapeltataCatesby.
I I Canthon laevis Drury .
Phanaeus carnifex Linn.
13 Sphex cementaria Drury.
15 Mutilla coccinea Fabr. ?
NOTES ON THE LARVAL STAGES OF SAMIA CYNTHIA. BY CAROLINE G. SOULE, BROOKLINE, MASS.
The eggs of Cynthia, except a very
few, did not turn green before hatching. Those laid first, loth May, hatched on
31st May, giving 21 days for the egg-
period ; but those laid last, 18th May,
hatched on 3d June, giving 16 days for
this period.
The larvae ate very little till the
middle of the second day, and did not
eat the egg-shell at all, unless they ate the bits removed to let them out.
When very young they seemed to be
troubled by the excrement, which clung
to the anal shield, instead of dropping
in the usual manner, and the larvae had
a way of seizing the excreta with their
mouths, pulling them free, and then
giving them a quick jerk which threw
them over the edge of the leaf. There
was a little silk visible all through the first stage, where the larvae moved.
About 120 eggs I gave away, of the
remaining 221 only two failed to hatch.
I gave most of the larvae tulip-tree
(Liriodendron tuli-pifera), leaves,
which they ate eagerly.




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136 PSYCHE. [November-December 1888.
With some I tried lilac, pear, Pyrits-
ja+ica, walnut, and horse-chestnut,
and at first they seemed to like them,
except the horse-chestnut, but the sec-
ond day they only nibbled at these
leaves, and several larvae died.
To others I gave Lonicera tartarica
and bittersweet (Sdanum dtilcamara,)
and these they ate fairly well, but did
not grow as large as those on tulip-tree, though they moulted at the same times.
Moulting began on 7th June, seven
days from the hatching of the first
eggs.
The second moulting of the first-
born larvae began on 9th June, only
two day's from the first moulting, and
before the last larvae had finished their first moulting.
The 3rd moulting began 14th June,
five days from the second, and before
the last larvae had accomplished theii-
second moulting.
The 4th moulting began on 17th
June, before the last larvae had finished the 3rd moulting. The green color
appeared for the first time, and the
anal shield was bright orange edged
with pale blue. Several died in moult-
ing, and for no apparent cause.
On the night of 30th June two larvae
began spinning, and by four P. M. on
1st July their cocoons were thick,
while several others had begun to spin,
making their larval life just one month. The largest of these laivae weighed
1- oz. each and were three inches long,
or lacked a trifle of that length. The
smallest, those fed on Lonicera tartar-
ica were one and a quarter inches long
and weighed very little-less than my
letter-scales would weigh ; their n~oults corresponded with those of the full-
grown larvae, and they reached the
same coloring and markings, except the
orange anal shield, with the blue edge,
and the other blue markings.
Their development seemed to be re-
tarded as well as their size stunted by
the food-plant. .
Although the dwarfs moulted at the
same time with the large larvae of the
same age, the two which survived the
last moult fed until the last part of
July, when one died, and the other be-
gan to spin 31st July. After various
futile attempts he gave it up, and, on
8th Aug., pupated on the bottom of the
tin, without any trace of silk about
him. The pupa was bright yellow,
turning brown gradually.
None of the larvae fed on tulip-tree
made as heavy cocoons as those fed on
Ailanthus, from which these were bred.




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