The text below is grayed out because it is not intended to be read. It is a necessarily imperfect OCR of the original and is only used by a search engine.
|
|
|||
|
Volume 26, Number 4
|
219
|
||
|
|
|||
|
The eggs are brick shaped and are deposited side-by-side in short, compact, precisely arranged rows. These eggs are similar in shape, size, and arrangement to those of Denteronomos magnarius Guenee, except that they are in shorter rows. They are pearly white, very finely but rather sparsely pitted on the upper surface. They seem unusually large for so small a moth, and the number of eggs produced by one female is evidently small. The maximum that I have ever obtained from one female is about 20.
The newly hatched larvae are translucent, almost colorless, very slender and very active. It is probable that they are quite general feeders on deciduous trees and shrubs, for I reared them on both choke cherry (Prunus virginiana) and red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera). They soon became green, and grew very rapidly, the first one starting its cocoon just 15 days after hatching.
The mature larva is light green with inconspicuous yellowish subdorsal and lateral lines, and somewhat wider stigmatal stripes of the same yellow color. It is essentially smooth, but with slightly raised flat tubercles accompanying each abdominal spiracle. It is easy to understand why these larvae have been completely overlooked, since their feeding period is quite brief, and occurs at a time when the superficially similar appearing larvae of Paleacrita vernata Peck are likely to be numerous.
The pupa is delicate pale green, and is enclosed in a neatly woven, thin, but very tough cocoon of white silk spun among leaves. The most remarkable feature of the pupa is a complete set of conspicuous spiracular tubercles, quite unlike anything I have observed elsewhere. In the absence of the dorsal groove, the very weak development of the lateral grooves, the general arrangement of the cremaster hooks, the very light chitinization of the pupal skin, and the density of the cocoon, there are marked resemblances to pupae of the Ennomos group.
In the past it has been a problem to determine what the closest relatives of Eugonobapta may be, since the adults have evidently lost most of the structural features that might indicate relationship, and the early stages were unknown. In the light of what we now know, it seems very reasonable to believe that Eugonobapta is a perfectly good member of the Ennomos complex.
Laurence R. Rupert, Sardinia, New York 14134.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CARDIAC GLYCOSIDES IN ASCLEPIAS SPECIES
Since the publication of my previous note (Slansky 1971, J. Lepid. Soc. 25:294) Jackson Bees has brought to my attention one publication (Masler et al. 1962, Collection Czeckosl. Chem. Commun. 27:872-895) and others have appeared (Duffey 1970, Science 169:78-79; Duffey & Scudder 1972, J. Insect Physiol. 18:63-78; Feir & Suen 1971, Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 64:1173-1174; Singh & Rastogi 1970, Phytochem. 9:315-331) reporting the presence of cardiac glycosides in Asclepias syriaca and other Asclepias species indicated by Brower (1969, Sci. Amer. 220:22-30) to lack these compounds, as cited in my prior note.
Perhaps, as pointed out by Duffey (op. cit), the concentration of cardenolides in these Asclepias species is below a threshold level and/or these species lack cardenolides with strong emetic properties, such that monarchs, Danaus plexippus L., whose larvae feed upon these plants are palatible to predators, as found by Brower (op. cit.).
Frank Slansky, Jr., Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850.
|
|||
|
|
|||