OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME XIII, 1911. 227 



DESCRIPTIONS OF THE LARVAE OF SOME MEXICAN 



LEPIDOPTERA. 



BY HARRISON G. DYAR. 



The larvae of the tropical American Lepidoptera have been 

 almost wholly neglected. The crude early figures of Sepp 

 and Cramer are available, but the figures of Cramer are im- 

 properly associated with the adults. Some of the Brazilian 

 butterflies have been ably dealt with by Fritz Miiller, and 

 there exist some scattered descriptions. The condition seems 

 to warrant any contribution to the subject, however slight, 

 and as the Department of Agriculture has come into the pos- 

 session of several species of inflated larvae prepared by Mr. 

 W. Gugelmann, brief descriptions of them are herewith pre- 

 sented. The specimens are deposited in the National Museum. 



FAMILY PAPIUONIMv. 



Papilio polydamas Linnaeus. 



Larva. Head rounded, bilobed, dull black with short black second- 

 ary hairs, a pale line in the median suture. Body enlarged a little at 

 joints 4-5, and tapering on the thorax; a subdorsal row of short 

 papillose processes and a lateral row on joints 2 to 5, 11 and 12, the 

 laterals on 2 and 11 longer than the others. Purplish, with oblique 

 black lines, about four on each segment, short, separated and a little 

 curved, more oblique on the sides than on the dorsum, finally forming 

 a nearly straight series of lines above the bases of the feet. Bases 

 of the feet blackish; feet black; papillose processes black. 



Papilio anchisiades idaeus Fabricius. 



Larva. Head rounded, bilobed, yellow-brown, paler behind and 

 flecked with pale on the vertex; numerous secondary hairs whitish. 

 Body cylindrical, a little enlarged at joints 3-5, with a subdorsal row 

 of short conical tubercles. Colors mottled brown and creamy white; 

 general color brown, the white prevailing laterally on joint 7 and to a 

 less extent on 11-12; surface finely dotted with creamy, ring-shaped 

 markings of this color posteriorly on the segments; a waved and 

 broken subdorsal line; several irregular light bands along the bases 

 of the feet, reducing the ground color to a series of spots; tubercles 

 more rich brown than the general color, marked with small creamy 

 crescents. 



Feeds on Citrus. 



