THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 97 



PREPARATORY STAGES OF CATOCALA RETECTA, GROTE. 



BY G. H. FRENCH, CARBONDALE, ILL, 



Egg. — Diameter, .035 inch by .02 inch high. Low conoidal, so much 

 flattened as to be somewhat lens shaped, ribbed longitudinally with 37 

 stride, 18 of which reach the micropyle, the striae marked transversely 

 with shallow cross stri;ij. Colour, dull olive. Duration of this period, 

 221 days. 



Youjig larva. — Length, .13 inch. Of the usual shape, that is 

 cylindrical with the head broader than the body, and the first two pairs of 

 prolegs short and not used in walking. Pale-yellow or brownish-yellow, 

 the anterior part of the body darker thah the posterior, head and top of 

 joint 2 dark brown. Duration of this period, 5 days. 



After first moult. — Length, .20 inch. Same shape as before. Head 

 and a small place on the top of joint 2 black. Body pale dull-green ; 

 three reddish purple stripes or lines on each side ; piliferous spots small, 

 a short gray hair from each one. Duration of this period, 6 days. 



After second moult. — Length, .35 inch. Body striped with alternate 

 stripes of white and purplish-black, three white lines on each side outside 

 of the dorsal stripe, this stripe being made up of a narrow line each side 

 of a more or less clearly defined blackish centre. The white on the sides 

 in lines about a third as wide as the dark, all greenish tinged. Head 

 black, with no markings unless ii be indistinct mottlings at the upper part ; 

 piliferous spots small, black ; venter sordid white with black spot in the 

 centre of each joint. Duration of this period, 8 days. 



After third moult. — Length, ,65 inch. Of the usual shape, a slight 

 fringe on each side. Colour dark ; three stripes on each side and one 

 dcyrsal, made up of two black lines enclosing a pale centre that is com- 

 posed of a pale lilac-gray line with a central broken black line, the dorsal 

 line containing very little of the central black ; the stripes separated from 

 each other by a narrow light stripe that is slightly creamy, with a little 

 pale lilac mottlings in places, the light stripe lighter than the light lines in 

 the dark stripes ; a stigmatal stripe that is made up of the ground colour 

 of the venter mottled with black, though not heavily ; venter sordid white 

 with a black patch in the centre of each joint ; lateral fringe while, not 

 very heavy ; head black, with a few whitish lines that do not reach the 

 apex, some of them broken ; legs pale, mostly pale reddish, the anal and 

 last prolegs darkest. Duration of this period, 5 days. 



