Circular N United States Department of Agriculture, HUKKAU OF KNTOMOLOC'.Y HOWARD. Cntumcdu^Kt «nJ Chief of Mure < \«TAU'\ SPHINX. atalpti Eidv. i Bj !..(». i [o« \Kn nnil I ' 1 1. Chittenden [NTROD1 i n iri . Our native species of catalpa, the eastern catalpa (Catalpa big- nonioides) and the hardy or western species {Catalpa speoioaa), are comparatively free from insect attack. Such common shade-tree defoliators as the bagworm and fall webworm occasionally feed upon the leaves, l>ut apparent ly do so only in the absence of food more palatable to them. There is one insect, however, the catalpa sphinx ttomia catalpa Bdv.°), which lives normally and exclusively on the foliage of this tree and in some seasons doc-- .cry considerable injury, frequently causing complete defoliation. There is evidence that this species, owing doubtless to the increased planting of these trees in regions other than their native home-, has also increased its natural range, and injury is more extensive now than formerly. During the year 1906 injury was noticed in Ohio. New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, but in 1907 reports of damage which reached this office indicated general infestation over a much larger area. This included portion- of Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, and Florida. Mr. A. S. Peck, of the Foresi Service, also reports injury in duly. 1907, at Warsaw, Ky. It is probable that the insect also infested the intervening territory not yel reported to this Bureau. M-i KM' I I \ 1 . The catalpa sphinx in it- active feeding stage is a large caterpillar, attaining a length of fully :'> inches. It i- very variable in color. there being a light and a dark form, a- in the case ^\' some related species. The prevailing color- are yellow and black, and this, com- - mnynis are s/iliiii.i COtalpa and liiinniinii cotulptt. 1752S Clr. 96—07. IhikmI with the large size of the insect, makes it a conspicuous object on infested trees. The complete life history by stages or periods of growth is well illustrated by the accompanying figure" on page •">. the drawing for which was made by the late Dr. George Marx, of whose excellent and artistic work it is one of the best published example-. The parent of this caterpillar is a large grayish-brown moth of the family Sphingidee, marked a- shown in figure 1. /-. It has a large heavy body and powerful wings with a total expanse of 3 inches. It deposits its eggs in masses, and in this respect di tiers from other sphingids. An egg mass i- shown in the illustration at a and an in- dividual egg at /. The young caterpillar- are paler than the mature ones, being pale yellow and having a stout black anal horn. Two striking variations of the larva in the later stage- are shown at / and <\ while // represents the commonest dark form of caterpillar. ORIGINAL HOME AND PRESENT DISTRIBUTION. This insect i- a strictly North American species, and its range is given by Dr. J. B. Smith 6 as from " Virginia to Florida: westward to the Mississippi; as far north as Indiana." It i- an especially common form in Virginia. Maryland, and Ohio, and of late year- has extended its range northward on the Atlantic coast, since it ha- been received at this office from several localities in southeastern Pennsyl- vania and Xew Jersey. In 1888 it was recorded from Delaware County. Pa., and Mr. Frank M. Jones'' states that he received it in 1893 from Sussex County, Del., while in 1894 a specimen was taken at electric light at Wilmington. Del. In 1898 the larvae appeared on the catalpa tree- at Wilmington in great numbers. The species has spread northward in Delaware, and it has greatly increased in numbers where it was formerly very rare. Its northward range seems so far to be limited by Illinois in the West, in which State Professor Forbes recorded it in 1SS4.'' The range of its food plant is as follows: From the Gulf of Mexico in western Florida and on the rivers in Alabama and Georgia westward and northward along the Mississippi and its southern tributaries in the great delta formation to above the mouth of the Ohio: thence up the Wabash and White rivers of Indiana to near Vincennes/ This has been taken by Riley to indicate also the range of the catalpa sphinx. Published records, however, were lacking until recently to « Originally published as Plate XIII. Report of U. S. Dept. Agr. for 1881 82 t> Monograph of the Sphingidse of America North of Mexico, p. -ic>, 1888. c Entomological News. November, 1898, p. 262; Feb., 1899, p. 4::. d Trans. 111. State Ilort. Soc, 1884, p. 125. • For particulars regarding the present range, see Circ. 82, Forest Service. [Clr. 9G] talpa Sphlns [Ceratomia catalptt) newly hatched lame; C larva one-tbtrd ;r"» n : '/.dorsal view ol |olnl ol • ; e, /. two differently marked, nearly full grown Ian sal vlen of joint ol f: h. fall-grown dart larva ; i, dorsal < Joint of same; /, pupa; *. moth; /. egg. enlarged. All natural Bl«e, except (Man del.). WW. 96] show its genera] occurrence west of Florida and Georgia along the Gulf. From the files of the Bureau of Entomology we learn that this species was observed in Alabama in 1883, and was received from Denison, Tex., in 1889. More recently the specie- has been reported from Arkansas (by Webster, in 1900) and from Cedar Creek, Ala. (in 1904), following which it occurred at St. Elmo, Ala. In 1899 the species was not known to occur in New Jersey, hut in 11)00 it was observed in Camden County, near Philadelphia, and in Hunterdon County." By 1906 it had become established at Elberon and Bloom- field, the latter — westward and a little north of Manhattan. New York- City — being the northernmost point of which we have knowledge of its occurrence in the East. LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS. The catalpa sphinx is subject to considerable fluctuations in num- bers. For one or two years or even several years it will not !>;■ noticed in a given locality and will then suddenly appear in greal masses, completely defoliating the trees and covering the ground beneath them with its larval excrement. It is interesting to observe that John Abbot, who collected the type specimens in Georgia, men- tioned more than a hundred years ago the fact that the fishermen who inhabited the borders of the swamps hunted for these larva- as the best bait for catching fish, and it is said that this bait is so esteemed for this purpose in some parts of Florida that the catalpa is often cultivated for no other purpose than to attract the insect. The eggs, as has been stated, are laid in masses, and the young larvae feed gregariously for some time. The prolificacy of the species may be judged from the fact that an egg mass in the collection of the U. S. National Museum contains nearly 1,000 eggs. The mass -is not compact and is slightly fastened to the underside of the leaves. Some- times, according to Koebele. the eggs are laid in smaller masses on the stems and branches. The larva 1 molt four times, becoming as they grow older very variable in their markings. In the extreme South the insect is reported to be found in all stages during the sum- mer, and there are three or four generations annually, the last hiber- nating in the pupa state beneath the ground and giving forth the moth the following March. In the summer time, according to Koe- bele, whose observations were made in Florida, the time occupied by an entire generation is about six weeks. In the vicinity of Washing- ton, at Coalburg, W. Va.. and probably everywhere in its northern range, there are two generations, or broods, annually. o Entomological News. November, 1900, pp. 608, nil. [Clr. 9G] \ \ I I I. \l. I \ I M II -. V — 4i A Dumber of parasitic insects attach and kill the catalpa sphinx. A pan tele* nrngregatus Say, a common, widespread, and \er\ gen eralrj parasitic runny of -phin\ caterpillars, attacks Hii- specie* quite as freelj a- ii does the " lion; worms' 1 of tobacco and tomato. Unfortunately this parasite is in turn parasitized l>\ other Hyme noptera, of which i wo species, M '■ <■•■ hot us aprilinus A -Inn. ami IJemi teles mesochoridis Rilej MS., are recorded. These secondary para >ite- in our experience, however, are nol generally abundant; hence the beneficial primary parasite flourishes in spite of their attack. Avanti I s i ongrt gains, the primary parasite, i a minute, four-winged, wasplike fly. It- larva, a white, maggotlike creature, develops within ilif body of the caterpillar, and when full fed and ready for transformation each indi vidua! eats a hole through the skin of the caterpillar ami spins its little white cocoon on the outside. Two hundred or more of such cocoon- may be -ecu on the body of a single caterpillai . After a few day- the w inged parasite issues from the cocoon- to lay eggs and produce another generation of larva'. This parasite is abundant throughout the eastern United State-. Microplitis i . 1 /ni/i/i /< s i catalpa Riley, which ap- pears to l>e a special parasite of the genus ( !eratomia, is also recorded a- an enenn of die species under discussion. Extensive parasitism of the catalpa sphinx by this species was observed by Mr. A. !•'. Burgea at .lack-on. Ohio, in 1905. In one case a large number of the hyper- parasite Uypopteromalus tabacum Fitch and a few individuals of Horismenus (llolcopelte) microgastri A-hm. were reared from the same lot of larvse, the hyperparasites outnumbering the primary parasites four to one. This, however, i- exceptional. Two common species of tachina flies, Euphorocera claripennis Macq. (fig. 2) and Frontina frenchii Will., also attack the larva of the catalpa -phinv These are general parasites of Lepidoptera, the former infesting 27 distinct species, the latter 22. I fir. 06] Fie. 2 /;»;./■ Ite of iii<> catalpa spblm Adull with puparltim at right : s ii > 1 enlarged anti n Howard, i A few birds prey upon the caterpillar, but most of them evi- dently find it. when full grown, a rather tough morsel, the -kin being especially tough and thick and the insect a very muscular one, so that, in fact, it is difficull to crush one with the end of a cane. Among the birds which have been recorded a- destroying this insect are cuckoo-, the catbird, and the Baltimore oriole. REMEDIES. The catalpa sphinx may be readily destroyed by different method-. Hand picking. — Owing to it- large size, the caterpillar is easily -ecu. and it is possible to control it by hand picking with the aid of a long ladder and a 12-foot pole primer or similar device. Arsenicals. — The insect can be destroyed by an arsenical spray of either Paris green or arsenate of lead, applied as for other shade- tree pests, Mich as the tussock moth and fall webworm." We may take advantage of our knowledge of the gregarious habit of the young of this caterpillar bj watching rather closely for it in the spring, and if the leaves are observed to be eaten in any particular place, a poi- sonous spray should be applied. This may frequently save an entire tree. Where only a few trees are to be treated, it will be best to spray all the leaves. Owing to the fact that the foliage is frequently in- fected by a leaf-spot disease.'' the added precaution of using Bordeaux mixture as a diluent for either the Paris green or arsenate of lead is advisable. Destruction of the pupce. — Where the caterpillars have been so abundant as to have affected the trees, it will pay as a precaution for the following year to spade up the ground thoroughly and disinte- grate it in the fall so as to destroy the pupa;, which will be found con- centrated under the surface of the ground in the immediate vicinity of the trunk. Protecting the parasites. — The second or last generation, which appears in September and October, is largely destroyed by parasites which are frequently very abundant just as the oldest caterpillars are beginning to reach full growth. At this time the parasites, which have been previously mentioned, issue from the body of their ho-t and spin large masses of white cocoons on the backs of the cater- pillars. These masses are so large that they can lie -ecu at a con- siderable distance against the black stripes of the host insect. It is not advisable to destroy the caterpillars at this stage, as the parasites are very beneficial and in ordinary seasons will reduce the numbers « For directions, sec Farmers' Bulletins 99 and 127. which may be obtained gratis upon application. i' Phyllosticta catalpcr. [Clr. 96] of the sphinx caterpillars so that thej will not appear the following Beason to »l<> much harm. Where the caterpillars run be i:i-il\ gathered, it will pay to pick them from the leaves and transfer them to barrels <>r targe boxes covered with wire netting. This will prevenl the caterpillars from issuing or falling ;i pre} i<> birds or other ani mala, and w ill insure the issuance of the parasites through the mesh t It u r- encouraging their good work. A I'm holes should be bored in the bottom of the barrels or boxes used, small enough to prevenl the caterpillars from crawling through them into the ground. This will prevenl the accumulation of water after rains which mighl drown the iii-ccis or sel up putrefaction in the him—. If the cooperation of neighbors who have catalpa tree- growing on their premises can be secured, tlii- caterpillar can be largely controlled I'm several j ears in succession. Approved : .l\MI- Wll ». >\. s n tary of . Igrit ultun . Washington, !>.('.. Nom mbi /■ 6 t 1907. [Clr.96] UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA II "" 3 1262 09216 4762