Though the larvæ and life-histories of several species of the Chrysomelid genus Donacia have been described more or less fully by European entomologists, I have been able to find but one such note in American entomological literature. In 1877 Dr. A. S. Packard gave a brief description of the larva and life-history of Donacia cincticornis, Newm., var. proxima, Kby., in the report of the U. S. Geological Survey for that year (p. 806), together with figures of the larva and cocoon (Pl. LXX., figs. 17–19) which he found on the roots of Nuphar advena.
and many others had mentioned the rose as one of the common food plants. In the case under our observation. the pest was received on some Killarney plants imported from an Ohio firm something over a year ago. The larvre evidently increased during the summer of 1908 and by midsummer of 1909 were sufficiently abundant to cause very serious devastation, the loss from defoliation and incidental checking of blooms undoubtedly amounting to over five thousand dollars. }i~ortunately the infestation started in one corner of the house and though when first observed by us both houses were well infested thruout, defoliation was confined to a relatively small area and the slowness of the spread was rather remarkable. When first observed most of the terminals had been folded up by the larvre. Subsequent observations show that where the larvre are not numerous that they are much more common on the lower leaves than on the terminals, this doubtless being due to the fact that the eggs are always laid on the older leaves and never on the terminals. Where plants are badly infested the larvre tie the terminal leaves together in a typicai tortricid fashion, thus checking all growth of the plant, .and burrow into the flower buds, so that there is no possibility of securing blooms (Plate 16). The owner of these houses states that some twenty years ago he was troubled with the same insect in rose houses in Massachusetts, but not so seriously and it was gradually brought under control by handpicking. Upon visiting the Waban Rose Conservatories at Natick, Mass., Mr. Alex. Montgomery, the manager, informed the vvriter that some twenty years ago when hybrid roses were first introduced that they had had considerable trouble with the insect both in the house and on Jacqueminot roses growing out of doors, but that in recent years, though a few were always to be found in old houses, they had found no difficulty in controlling them by handpicking. Mr. Montgomery had just returned from an extensive trip among rose growers thruout the East, but had heard of no noteworthy damage by the insect in recent years, nor do the florists' trade journals give any account of injury, except that Sirrine (1900) mentions it as a carnation pest, where carnations are with or follow roses, implying that it a common rose pest. It is evident, therefore, that serious injury to roses is sporadic as on the apple, and other common food plants.
In studying the larva and pupa of Steganoptycha pyricolana, Murt., some observations were made as to structure, which it seems desirable to permanently record. The life-history and habits of the species have been described in the Twelfth Report of the Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station.“This species was described by Miss M, E. Murtfeldt, in Bulletin No. 23, o. s., Div. Ent., U. S. Dept. Ag.., p. 52, as S. pyricolana, Riley MS. Concerning the identity, it was stated that ‘Professor Fernald, to whom a specimen was shown, considers it identical with Clemens's S. salicicolana, which, I believe, breeds in willow galls, but Dr. Riley pronounces it distinct, and he has types of Clemens's species.’ My specimens agree entirely with Miss Murtfeldt's description, but are distinctly different from Clemens's types in the collection of the Am. Ent. Society. Correspondence shows that the opinion credited above to Dr. Fernald is incorrect, as he never compared the specimens.
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