. The butterfly book; a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America. Butterflies -- North America. Fig. 30.—Parasitized lar- va of D. »iyron. (After Riley.). Fig. 31.—Micro- gaster which de- stroys larvae of D. myron. Sphingidae Before the caterpillar reaches maturity the grubs emerge from beneath the skin, and attaching themselves to the epidermis, proceed to weave about themselves little white cocoons, in which they are transformed into perfect insects, emerging to repeat the cycle of life. Caterpillars which have been thus parasitized do not survive the ordeal. The acco
. The butterfly book; a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America. Butterflies -- North America. Fig. 30.—Parasitized lar- va of D. »iyron. (After Riley.). Fig. 31.—Micro- gaster which de- stroys larvae of D. myron. Sphingidae Before the caterpillar reaches maturity the grubs emerge from beneath the skin, and attaching themselves to the epidermis, proceed to weave about themselves little white cocoons, in which they are transformed into perfect insects, emerging to repeat the cycle of life. Caterpillars which have been thus parasitized do not survive the ordeal. The accompanying cut (Fig. 30), shows a larva upon which the ichneumon-tlies have done their deadly work. The insect, which accomplishes the task of destruction imposed upon it in the economy of nature, is verv small. The figure given herewith shows it of its natural size, and also enlarged, so that its structural peculiarities may be more easily recognized. The species which we are con- sidering shares this liability to parasitism with its congeners, as well as with the repre- sentatives of many other genera of the Sphiiigida\ I was greatly annoyed a number of years ago by having a large series of the larvffi of the beautiful Darapsa versicolor, which 1 had collected in their early stages, destroyed by this ichneumon-Hy, and the following summer, and, in fact, for several summers following, the larvae of D. versicolor, which had been for awhile quite abundant in certain localities known to me, almost entirely dis- appeared. In one ravine, where I had obtained them by the hundreds, they were not to be found. 1 account for their dis- appearance by the unusual num- bers of the parasites which had infested them that suinmer. The larva of tiivron under- goes pupation in a loose cocoon Fic. 32.—Pupa of /). myron of coarsely woven threads of silk, which it spins under leaves at the surface of the ground. In this respect its habits are strictly like those of the other species of the ge
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