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Vol. XXXVII. LONDON, OCTOBER, 1905. No. 10 



NOTES ON THE EARLIER STAGES OF SOME CANADIAN 

 TIGER MOTHS OF THE GENUS APANTESIS. 



BY ARTHUR GIBSON, CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM, OTTAWA. 



Since the appearance of a paper in the May and June, 1903, numbers 

 of the Canadian Entomologist, the writer has received for study either 

 eggs or larvse of several species of Apantesis, information as to the earlier 

 stages of each of which was limited. The past three seasons in Canada 

 have not been remarkable as to the abundance of material to collect, and 

 Arctians, like many other kinds of moths, have been very scarce. Con- 

 sequently not as many species have been received for study as had been 

 hoped. 



Virgo. — 331 eggs of this species were kindly forwarded in 1903 by 

 JVIiss Caroline G. Soule. They were laid at Brandon, Vt., on July 23, 24 

 and 25, and hatched on August 5, 6, 7 and 8. The eggs of virgo are the 

 same in appearance as those of other moths of the genus, but are larger, 

 measuring in width at the base 0.8 mm., and in height 0.8 mm.; in shape 

 semi-ovate. As notes were taken on the larval stages, these are presented 

 herewith. 



Stage /.—Length when hatched 2.5 mm. Colour at first sordid 

 white, after feeding pale greenish. Head o 4 mm. wide, dark brown, 

 excepting clypeus, mouth-parts and space above ocelli, all of which are 

 pale. Thoracic shield blackish. Tubercles shiny, blackish, i about 

 one-fifth the size of ii, which is the largest; iii nearly same size as ii, others 

 smaller than iii ; ii, iii and iv encircled with blotches of pale orange. 

 Bristles faintly barbed, black from i, ii and iii, silvery from other tubercles. 

 Ventral surface pale. All the feet dull blackish ; thoracic feet rather 

 translucent. 



Stage IT. — Length just after moulting 4 mm. Head 0.6 mm. wide, 

 blackish. Body after feeding dark sea green. A pale bluish dorsal stripe 

 is present in this stage. Tubercles black, conspicuous, shiny, each bearing 

 a bunch of bristles of varying lengths ; dorsal bristles black, subventral 

 ones silvery. The tubercles are surrounded or encircled with blotches, as 



