. A manual for the study of insects. Insects. 256 THE STUD Y OF INSECTS, ^ curious type of larval habits. It infests the leaves of maple, and occasionally is so abundant that it does serious injury. The leaves of an infested tree present a strange appearance (Fig. 303). They are perforated with numerous elliptical holes, and marked by many more or less perfect ring-like patches in which the green substance of the leaf has been destroyed, but each of which incloses an uninjured spot. These inju- ries are produced as follows: The young larva cuts an oval piece out of a leaf, places it over its b
. A manual for the study of insects. Insects. 256 THE STUD Y OF INSECTS, ^ curious type of larval habits. It infests the leaves of maple, and occasionally is so abundant that it does serious injury. The leaves of an infested tree present a strange appearance (Fig. 303). They are perforated with numerous elliptical holes, and marked by many more or less perfect ring-like patches in which the green substance of the leaf has been destroyed, but each of which incloses an uninjured spot. These inju- ries are produced as follows: The young larva cuts an oval piece out of a leaf, places it over its back, and fastens it down with silk around the edges. This serves as a house beneath which it lives. As it grows this house becomes too small for it. It then cuts out a larger piece which it fastens to the outer edges of the Fig. 303.—Leaf infested by/wcz^rz'^r/^. smaller ouc, the larva being between the two. Then it fastens one edge of this case to the leaf by a silken hinge so that it will not fall to the ground '' cradle and all,'* and then turns the case over so that the larger piece is over its back. When it wishes to change its location it thrusts out its head and fore legs from the case and walks off, looking like a tiny turtle. When it wishes to eat it fastens the case to the leaf and, thrusting its head out, eats the fleshy part of the leaf as far as it can reach. This explains the circular form of the patches, the round spot in the center indicating the position of the case. The insect passes the winter in the pupa state within its case^ which falls to the ground with the infested leaf. The moth is of a brilliant steel-blue or bluish-green color without spots; it appears in early Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Comstock, John Henry, 1849-1931; Comstock, Anna Botsford, 1854
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1895
