The Life History of Parargyractis canadensis Munroe (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) of Sandy Creek (Monroe County, New York)

Abstract

Population s of Parargyractis canadensis Munroe that existed in Sandy Creek (Monroe County, N.Y.) were studied from 7 October 1971 to 28 October 1972. Being a new species only recently described by Munroe (1972) it was possible for the first time to document its complete life history. Previous to this study the immature forms of P. canadensis had never been reported. During this study, it was also possible to obtain quantitative estimates of the density and distribution of immature forms of P. Canadensis at three different areas of Sandy Creek. These immature stages averaged 270.2/m2 for the 1971-72 overwintering generation and 358.2/ m2 for the 1972 summer generation. Larvae and pupae were found to be uniformly distributed from bank to bank .