True Tales of the Insects
A. N. Caudell.
E. Libris.
Edwardi Chapman. A. M.
Coll. B. M. Magd. Oxon. Socii.
CRESCIT SUB PONDERE VIRTUS
Edward Chapman.
TRUE TALES
THE INSECTS
SCHIZODACTYLUS MONSTROSUS.
TRUE TALES
OF
THE INSECTS
L. N. BADENOCH
AUTHOR OF "romance OF THE INSECT WORLD"
WITH FORTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARGARET J. D. BAD£^©G«- J
AUG 2 1 1^31 ^'|i
LONDON: CHAPMAN & HAEL, ld.
1899
'^1 .
INSCRIBED TO THE
DEAR MEMORY OF D...
PREFACE.
A FEW of the Essays in this volume have been pubhshed in serials. "Symbols of Psyche" originally-appeared as an article in Tkc Sunday at Home. " Day-flying Moths " and " The Case Moths," but for some slight alterations, and some additions, have appeared in Kuozulcdgc and Applctons Popular Science MontJdy, and I have to thank the editors of those periodicals for kind permission to reproduce them here.
To Mr. W. F. Kirby and Mr. C. O. Waterhouse, of the British Museum (Natural History), I must express my thanks for the kindness with which they have always helped me with the literature of the subject, and have given me the free use of the valuable collections under their charge.
London,
Dccanber, 1898.
CONTENTS.
ORTHOPTERA. CURSOR!A.
CHAPTER 1.
THE DEVIL'S RIDING-HORSE (MANTID^).
" Devotional " attitude—Legends and superstitions arising therefrom Meaning of habit—The tiger, not the saint of the insect world— Not only carnivorous, but pugnacious, and a cannibal—Voracity not limited to insects— Modification of front legs—Their principal function—Typical development of an insect's leg— Modification in detail of leg of Mantis—The limb in repose— Its secondary functions—The other legs— Modification of prothorax— Its remarkable elongation and mobility— Development shows importance—Not legs and thorax alone, whole organization in conformity with a carnivorous life: head, sense-organs, etc., organs of flight—Atrophy of wings— Coptopteryx females
CHAPTER II.
THE devil's riding-horse (mantid.e)—continued. Egg-laying and the egg-capsules—Capsule of Mantis religiosa j situation of eggs, subsidiary parts, consistency, explanation of manner of formation—Capsules of other Mantidte—Parasites—Metamorphoses of Mantis—Emergence, appearance, and interesting life of young—Development of organs of flight—Nymphs compared with sub-apterous or apterous adults—Latter with apterous Phasmidae Protective and Aggressive resemblance—Modifications of forms in
CONTENTS.
general, of the Ground Species, of the Plant Types—Special protec- Geo- tive resemblance—Alluring colouring—Aggressive mimicry-graphical distribution..........•• •• i6
CHAPTER 111.
WALKING-STICKS AND WALKING-LEAVES (PHASMIDÆ).
rela-General peculiarities—Appearance grotesque—Mesothorax often size, or absent, tively very large—Yet tegmina usually of small even where lower wings are very largely developed— In such cases provision for defence of latter organs essential—Characteristics and use habits—Are herbivorous—Their immobility—Reasons and of thereof—More means of defence; prickles and spines, power ejecting nauseous fluid, aquatic habits— Curious power of reproducing lost or injured limbs—Eggs in Phasmidae generally of a most remarkable nature—Specially exemplified in eggs of Phyllium out of egg; and after— Change in —Change during scramble colour at different periods of life............ 41
CHAPTER IV.
WALKING-STICKS AND WALKING-LEAVES (PHASMID^) COIltimied. Marvellous imitative resemblance of vegetative objects—Walking-sticks proper—Beautiful and giant winged forms—Bizarre shapes galore —End gained by this mimicry of course protection against attack —There is perhaps no other group of insects which in form and colour are so generally imitative—Leaf-insects—Resemblance to leaves displayed by tegmina, also by other parts—Female alone possessed of large leaf-like tegmina—Tegmen of female Phyllium from various points of view an exceptional structure—Success of artifice demonstrated—Distribution of family—That Walking-sticks come of a remote antiquity—That they are a singularly isolated group.................... 60
SALTATORIA.
CHAPTER y.
LOCUSTS AND (JRASSHclPI'F.RS (aCRIDIID^).
Series Cursoria and Saltatoria—To two families of latter, term Grasshopper applied—Acridiidai, prominent characteristics—Anatomy Organs of special sense—Air-sacs—Acridiida; remarkable amongst Orthoptera for possession of—Arrangement in Rocky Mountain its Locust—Use—Locust an aeronaut—-To this fact largely due enormous powers of flight— Dilatable tracheae—Locust, how en- '• song"—Of great importance to the dowed intellectually—Gift of creatures—-Apparatus for producing sound—The music, characteristic of male—Stridulation during llight—Acridian ears—Three forms—Minute structure— Ears in both sexes, as in most species Function of acoustic organs difficult to determine—Possible solu- ; and philosophy of egg-mass— tion of difficulty—Oviposition Migratory locusts may make a deposit of eggs at more than one place during migration—Egg-enemies— Process of escape of the young from the egg, of much interest— Post-embryonic develop- ... 8i ment of Acridiid;^—Change of colour in course of development
CHAPTER 'I.
LOCUSTS AND GRASSHOPPKRS (aCRIDI ID.t) COUtilUli'd. Most species of Acridiidae not migratory— Species ascertained to be migratory—Migratory disposition not caused by anatomical differences: migratory species exist in countries without giving rise to swarms—Ravaging power of migratory locusts; huge size of swarms—Famine and pestilence probable sequences—No law of periodicity governing destructive flights— Phenomenon of migration explained by excessive multiplication—Other causes, both immediate and remote—Remarkable manifestations of instinct attend migration—Disappearance of locusts from a spot invaded appa-rentlytors—"obscureVoetgangers,": they againinterestingmigratepointsafter ingrowththeir tonaturalland historyof ances- How these wingless locusts cross rivers—Distance to which swarms
CONTENTS.
of pro- may migrate—Length of a single flight—Proof of power longed flight that they are able to cross large bodies of water Natural enemies, vertebrate and invertebrate—Some species of Acridiidae present an unusual aspect—Oedipodides, striking cases of colour diff"erence— Is correlative with locality—Interesting Eremobiens; modified to extraordinary extent for desert life... io6
CHAPTER Vll.
GREEN GRASSHOPPERS (LOCUSTID^).
Distinguishing characters—Absence of air-vesicles connected with tracheal system— Ocelli generally imperfect—Peculiar head-orna-in ment—Locusta, ovipositor— Life-histories—Deposition of eggs galls, of Mecoiiema variiim, oi Xiphidium ensiferum—Development of Microcentricvi retmerve — Tibial ears, their structure and functions—Musical organs and music— Katydids, their pertinacity —As pets— Ill-effects of confinement—Food-habits—Anabrus, increase to large numbers—Perfection of resemblance of tegmina to leaves— Defence of a positive nature—Resemblance to Stick Insects—Cave-dwellers—Remarkable forms—Gigantic and ugly Anostostoma—Of the curious genus Deinacrida Schizodactyltis monstrosus—Eumegalodonidce............ 141
LEPIDOPTERA.
CHAPTER VIII.
SYMBOLS OF PSYCHE.
Fable of Psyche— Its origin—In its later aspects—Conspicuous beauty and abundance of the Symbols—Favourite resorts—Not only gregarious, but migratory—Twilight fliers—Of a quarrelsome disposition—Peculiarities of highest interest—Different females of Papilio tnemnon— Perfect protective imitative resemblance of KaUima, the leaf-butterflies............... 163
COXTEXTS.
CHAPTER IX.
DAY-FLYING MOTHS.
Lepidoptera divided into Rhopalocera (butterflies, or day-flyers) and Heterocera (moths, or night-flyers)—Antennae unsatisfactory as a classificatory basis: no one set of characters will serve as an infallible guide to distinguish moths from butterflies—" The series of affinities in nature a concatenation or continuous series "—This more or less gradual blending a strong argument in favour of community of descent— Castniidte in some respects combine the characters of both Lepidopterous divisions—Have most affinities with moths Megathymus yiicccr, the Yucca Borer, an interesting aberrant form—Regarded by some as a genuine butterfly—Habi- : white powdery tat, appearance, habits— Depredations committed bloom: funnel-like tube, characteristic of larva—^Brilliant and graceful Uraniid;^ proved to belong to the Heterocera Urania boisduvalii, one of the most beautiful Lepidoptera known; and
... others— Migratory habits of day-flying moths
CHAPTER X.
THE CASE MOTHS (PSVCHID^).
In Structure of female, and in habit, the strangest and most abnormal of all Lepidoptera— Females have become degenerate—Young sack-bearers at home— Ingenuity in construction of case Mctura elongata a most interesting architect—Lictor Moth Aniinula re- huebncri—Curious case of A7iimula herrichii—Enlargement, pair, locomotion, temporary suspension, complete withdrawal, mode of moving and retaining position within case—Coming of Age of male— Supposed assistance of long sticks at event—After-in life, and general characteristics—Want of homogeneousness perfect state of insects of this group—Probable cause of disappearance of beauty of male— Singular rarity of moths considering abundance of cases—Females perpetual prisoners, living and dying within larva habitaculum
CHAPTER XI.
THE HAWK .MOTHS SPHIXGID^).
I'ACE Leading characteristics of this favourite group—Posterior spine or of caudal horn—Sphinx-Uke attitude— Highly specialized condition some of the structural characters, of peculiar interest—Macroglossinae— Chcerocampinas—Ambulicinas— Sphinginse— Manducinat their metropolis in Tropics —Smerinthina:-—Sphingid^e have (Occasional visitors from sunny climes......... 219
CHAPTER XII.
THK DE.ATH'.S HK.\U .MOTH.
In several respects a most remarkable species—" Grim feature "'— It has a voice—Many theories put forward to account for the cry Sound emitted by pupa—By larva; its nature and cause—Moth of superior dimensions, of nocturnal habit— Not surprising it should be an object of alarm to the superstitious—As a bee-robber—That its stridulous voice controls the bees— It is excessively sluggish At sea—That it is nomadic in habit—Times of appearance in imago; in larva— Single- or double-brooded with us—On rearing the Death's Head Moth
Index
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
NO. ScHizoDACTVi.us MoNSTROSUS...... Frontispiece 1. Harpax Tricolor and Pseudocreorotra... Headpiece 3 2. Maxtis Religiosa in Devotional Attitude...... 7 3. A. Fore-leg oe Maxtis Religiosa; B. Lei; of a Beetle
(Lucanus Cervl'.s)............... 10 4. A Stick-like Maxtis (Lepiocoi.a (^racilima) wnn.Viro-
PHIED WlXGS.................. 11 5. Headaxd Prothorax of Max lis Kki.ii.iosa, with Insertion
OF Axterior Legs.............. 13 6. Egg-CAPSULES of Mantid^E...... Headpiece 16 7. Egg-capsule of AL\ntis Religiosa......... 19 8. A Ground Mantis (Eremiaphil.v Tvphox), from Egypt... 26 9. Ch.«radodis Rhomricollis, wuh Prothoracic Expansion
AND Leaf- I.IKE Elytra............ 27 10. Deropl.\tvs Truncata, from Borneo......... 32
11. GOXGYLUS TrACHEI.OPHVLLUS, WITH NUMEROUS FOLIACEOUS
Lores..................... 33 12. Tropidoderus Rhodomus............ 47 13. Eggs of Differext Walking-Sticks......... 53 14. ACROPHVLLA Titan......... Headpiece 60 15. A Stick Insect (Phanocles Curvipes), from St. Vincent 61 16. Ceroys Lacini.^tus, from Nicaragua: Irregular Leaflike Expansions Protrude all over it...... 68 [7. Graeffea Coccophagus............... 74 18. A Walking-Leaf (Phyllium Scythe), from Silhet... 75
LIST OF JLLUSTRA2I0NS.
NO. PAGE
- A Grasshopper, Truxalis Pharaonis... Headpiece 81 20. Teratodes Monticollis............... 93
21. PROSCOPIA iNiEQUALIS, WHICH BEARS A GREAT GENERAL
Resemblance to a Stick Insect......... 107 22. A VERY Aberrant and Beautiful Grasshopper (Pneumora
SCUTELLARIS).............••... II9
23. METHONE ANDERSSONI, SPECIALLY REMARKABLE FOR ITS COM-
PLEX Organs for Producing Sound......... 131 24. Pterochroza Ocellata, ITS Tegmina Resembling Leaves 142 25. A Cave-dweller (Dolichopoda Palpata)...... 143 26. Eumegalodon Ensifer, one of T]he most Remarkable of the Locustid^, from Java 151 27. Symbols of Psyche, etc.... Headpiece 1 63 28. The Dragon's Bride '65 29. Hetaira Esmeralda, from Brazil A Clear-wing Butter-