ClRCULAH N I 110. 
 
 Jul) 1' 
 
 I nited Mates Dcpartuiciit ui Agriculture, 
 
 HURKAU OP KNTOMfll 
 L. o. howakd, Botomoleg 
 
 rill. GREEN-STRIP] 
 
 L O. How m;i. .iii.l I 
 
 i ENKKAI, U'I'E \i: \\( i \\ l> M 
 
 Maple trees grown in the United States for shade or other purpose 
 are subject to severe injury from defoliation by caterpillars. In ad- 
 dition to the fall webworm* and tussock moth caterpillar there is a 
 common and troublesome Bpecies known as the green-striped maple 
 worm {An • >icunda) which affects maples of all kinds, including 
 
 Bugar maple, and is especially partial to silver and swamp maples. It 
 feeds occasionally also on l><>\ elder and will defoliate oak in the 
 absence of its favorite food trees. 
 
 In its active stage this insect is a naked or hairless caterpillar (fig. L, 
 </, -i of large Bize and somewhat attractive appearance, being pale 
 yellowish green, longitudinally Btriped with dark green. It is armed 
 just back of thf head. <>n the second thoracic segment, with a pair of 
 long black boras. It has also a number of Bhort, ''lack. Bpiny projec- 
 tions along its aides and at it> anal extremity. The anal segments arc 
 somewhat dilated and rose-colored on the Bides. WTien fully grown, 
 it measures nearly two inches in length. 
 
 'The parent insect, or moth, is a beautiful creature of a pale yellow 
 color shaded with a most delicate pink. The female is well shown in 
 the accompany ing illustration (a), the dark portions representing the 
 pink, and the paler portions the yellow color. In eastern individuals 
 the colors differ from those found in the West, the rose tints being 
 more intense, while in the western form- the yellow predominate-. 
 with only a slight tinge of rose. Some western individuals also are 
 nearly white The female has a wing spread of one and three-fourths 
 
 to about two inches, and her body is yellow and woolly in appearance. 
 
 Her head i- -mall, retracted into the thorax, and bears Bhort, thread- 
 like antenna'. The male is -mailer than his male, having plumose or 
 feathery antenna', as represented in the figure ( $ ). 
 
 The egg is about one millimeter in diameter, slightly flattened, and 
 pale green, becoming yellowish before the larva hatches. A portion of 
 
 •merly called Dryfcampa r 
 t< Hyphantria eunea Drp. 
 < Htmerocampa a [>m. 
 
 fir. 110- I 
 
an egg mass is figured in the illustration at c, and a much-enlarged egg 
 with the embryo within at b. The pupa is very dark brown, nearly 
 black, and of the somewhat peculiar form shown at f. It is armed 
 with little spines on the margin of the ahdominal segments and on 
 the thorax, and the anal segment ends in a projection a little forked at 
 the tip. 
 
 Fie;. 1. — Anisota rubicimda: a, Female moth and antenna of male moth; 6, egg showing embryo 
 within; c, portion of egg mass; <i, full-grown larva from side: i . same from hark . /. pupa. Enlarged. 
 (Original.) 
 
 OKIOIN AND DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 The green-striped maple worm is a native North American species 
 and is more abundant in the West than in the East, although it enjoys 
 a considerable range. It abounds ('specially in Kansas, Nebraska, 
 Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa, occurring also in the Gulf States, occa- 
 sionally doing considerable damage in Mississippi. It extends some- 
 times in injurious numbers North and Kast, and has attracted some 
 attention by its ravages in West Virginia, the District of Columbia, 
 New Jersey, and in a limited portion of New York State. Instances 
 [Clr. no] 
 
:i i . ■ on record of it- occurrence in great numbers in Dutchess and 
 Sullivan counties in New York, bul these occurrences were excep- 
 
 tioiiiil. 
 
 1.1 II. Illsl, .|;1 A\D II \l'.l PS. 
 
 Tin' moths issue from over w iutering pups or chrj salides in May or 
 June, according to locality, and pair, the females depositing their ej 
 on the under side of the leaves. The number of eggs laid by a single 
 
 female has not been ascertained, but is know n to reach at least L50. In 
 eight or ten daj s the eggs hatch, and the caterpillar emerges and feeds 
 and grows apace. After passing through four molts in about a month 
 it reaches full growth, when it enters the ground to transform to pupa. 
 At the end of two weeks, or a little longer, the pupa, by means of 
 the sharp and horny projections which have already been described, 
 
 works its way to the surface of the ground and gives forth the moth. 
 
 Boon afterwards the female, after copulation, lays eggs for a second 
 generation. 
 
 In the District of Columbia it has been ascertained that there are 
 usually three generations in the course of a year, although in Missouri, 
 according to Riley, there are only two. Pupa? of the second genera- 
 tion in the West and of the third generation in the East over-winter. 
 Even as far north as Massachnssetts Harris showed the probability 
 of two generations annually. 
 
 INSTANCES «>K INJTBT. 
 
 Many of the earlier writers on economic entomology reported nu- 
 merous instances of injury by this species, but of late the insect has 
 not received much attention, presumably because of the far greater 
 destructiveness of the commoner tussock moth and fall webworm, and 
 of the gipsy and brown-tail moth-. Possibly this maple worm is 
 decreasing in numbers. Some characteristic outbreaks may be men- 
 tioned, therefore, as showing its importance some years and to give 
 some idea of its method of work. 
 
 In ls^7 Mf. n. \v. Young, Independence, Cans., wrote that for four 
 
 years the soft maple shade trees of that city had been defoliated twice 
 
 a year by this insect, the trees being greatly weakened. In L888 Mr-. 
 M. T. McCluny, Sedalia, Mo., wrote that these •"worm-"' "were like 
 the locusts of Egypt, and filled the houses" and destroyed the leaves of 
 the maple shade trees. In 1889 considerable correspondence was had 
 with Mr. .1. W. Merchant, Kansas City, Mo., who reported extensive 
 defoliation in Kansas City. Kan-., and sent several photographs, one 
 of which is here reproduced (ti<r. 2). Incases where adjoining maple 
 and elm trees branched into each other the elm trees were never 
 touched. During the period from 1888 to 1890, at Lincoln. Nebr.. 
 
 [Cir. U0] 
 
Fig. 2.— Maple tree at Kansas City, Kans., defoliated by green-striped maple worm. (Original.) 
 [Cir. 110] 
 
many rows of large maples were entirely defoliated, rendering them 
 \.rv unsightly. (See fig. 8.) Ai about the same time Doctor Riley 
 reported similar complete defoliation on the grounds of the State 
 agricultural college at Manhattan. Kan-., and of the Mate univer- 
 sdty at I. awn-nee. Cans. In 1901 Mr. I. K. Brooks reported great 
 damage to the foliage <>!' maple in the vicinity of French Creek, 
 \V. \ a. Since L906 the Bpecies has been abundant in portion-: of 
 Maryland and Virginia, but not noticeably troublesome. 
 
 During 1908 it was devastating forests in and around Fryeburg, 
 Me. At that time it almost entirely stripped maple and it was said — 
 oak. beech, birch, apple, ami other deciduous trees over a very large 
 
 ih-n. Inn it poems probable that other Bpecieswere present, as in 
 other cases reported to this office." It was particularly troublesome 
 to shade maples in Maine. New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania, 
 
 N \ II i; \l ENEMIES. 
 
 The green striped maple worm i- frequently eaten by domestic 
 foul- and by many birds. Of these the robin and yellow- billed 
 caukoo have been recorded by Bruner. 6 lie reports both of these 
 bird- as actively engaged in picking tip and swallowing the. ••worms" 
 as late a- September 20, at Lincoln. Nebr. The bluebird, tufted tit- 
 mouse, red headed woodpecker, red-eyed vireo. and crow blackbird 
 are also Btated by the late Prof. F. II. Snow to eat the " woriib." 
 
 while the moths also are sometimes destroyed by birds. To the above 
 
 li-t Prof. F. E. L. Heal, of the Bureau of Biological Survey, add- the 
 black-billed cuckoo and the great-crested flycatcher as enemies of this 
 insect. 
 
 This species is parasitized by a common ichneumon fly, Limnerium 
 fugitivum Say. a rather general parasite of lepidopterous larvae. Two 
 tachina flies have been reared from it, Frontina frenchii Will., from 
 Washington, P. ('.. and vicinity, and Belvotia hifasdata Fal>.. from 
 northern Missouri Among the old Riley notes i- a record of the 
 rearing of an egg parasite, but the species ha- not been determined. 
 
 At one time the electric lights in BOme of the large cities men- 
 tioned were tin- means of attracting and destroying large numbers of 
 the moth-, and l.oth moths and caterpillars were destroyed in large 
 numbers by passers by, who trampled on them. 
 
 A.8 a rule little is to he expected from taehina flies a- a means of 
 controlling insect pests, and the ichneumon mentioned, being a <_ r «'n- 
 eral parasite, is not an efficient destroyer of this particular species. In 
 
 ■'The other species conc e rned in damage wire Htterocampa and 
 
 //. bilinenta Pack., principally to forest trers. although daring the year they inji 
 maple ftroves and attacked ^uirar maple and a considerable \ ariety of the I 
 in New England. 
 
 vrence Braner, 1890, Bull, u Nebr. Agr. Exp. Bta., pp. " 
 
 - 110] 
 

other words, we can not rel^ for assistance upon any of the natural ene 
 inics excepl birds. These should !><• encouraged in ei erj possible way, 
 ami warfare should be waged against the English sparrow, which does 
 not feed on this caterpillar, save perhaps occasionally in nesting time, 
 and is :i great pest in itself, especially as it drives other and useful 
 birds from cities and towns. 
 
 Bl MKDIES. 
 
 Irtenical*. Spraying with an arsenical mixture, if accomplished 
 when the caterpillars are young, is the most effective means of con- 
 trolling this insect, i>m a spraying is n<>t easilj applied when :i lai 
 grove of maples is infested. Blither Paris green or arsenate of lead 
 may be used and applied in accordance with the directions furnished 
 for other Bhade-tree defoliators, as described in detail in Farmers' 
 Bulletin No. 99. This publication should be in the hands of all per- 
 sons suffering from the ravages of shade-tree insects, and that portion 
 relating to general instructions in the last chapter should be read." 
 Paris green may be applied on maple trees a- Btrong as I pound to 
 gallons of water, but halt" that strength, or one-half pound to 50 gallons 
 of water, will probably Buffice iii most cases. Arsenate of lead may 
 
 he safely used at BS high a rate a- from 2 to 4 pounds of the poison to 
 j dlons of water. 
 
 Trenching. If an arsenical spray ha- not been used while the Larvae 
 are young, large numbers of the pests may he trapped and easily 
 destroyed by digging a trench either around individual trees or around 
 
 groves Or belts Of tree-. The trench should lie at Least a foot dee]). 
 
 with the outer wall- sloping under. The larva- usually wander away 
 
 from the trees before entering the earth, and will lie caught in the 
 trench in great numbers or will bury themselves in the ground in the 
 
 bottom of the trench, when 1 they can lie lulled. This remedy wa- 
 given a practical and thoroughly satisfactory test many years ago 
 by Doctor Riley, and has been recommended to our correspondents 
 generally. 
 
 II, rmi picking. — When the public once become- well acquainted 
 with thi-i insect in all of it- stages, from tin 1 egg to the moth, large 
 number- of the eggs and the moth- can Ik 1 killed by band on their 
 appearance in May or dune, and individual choice tree- may in a 
 measure be protected in this manner. 
 
 Approved: 
 
 .1 \mi - We BON, 
 
 S retary of Agt icultun . 
 
 Washington, 1>. C, May :>:. ' 
 
 Farmers' Bulletin No. 99 is furnished gratia <>n application t" the Department of 
 Agriculture. 
 
 [Cir. no 
 
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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 
 
 3 1262 09216 5587