28 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



PREPARATORY STAGES OF CATOCALA DESPERATA, Guen. 



BY G. H. FRENCH, CARBONDALE, ILL. 



Eggs. — Diameter, .04 of an inch ; low conoidal, the edges of the base 

 rounded ; striated, fifteen of the striae reaching the micropyle, sixteen 

 more that do not reach the apex, though but few of these are only half 

 length ; shallow transverse striae. Color dull brownish olive. Duration 

 of this period 201 days. 



Young larva. — Length, .15 inch; cylindrical, slender, shape like 

 others of the genus, a looper from the abortion of first two pairs of pro- 

 legs. Color of dorsum and head smoky, the head the darkest, pale 

 between the joints ; sides a little paler than the back, with three fine 

 dark red lines. Towards the last of this stage the color is more of a 

 whitish olivaceous with a slight pinkish tinge, and the head and top of 

 joint 2 brownish. Duration of this period 10 days. 



After 1st moult — Length, .35 inch ; shape much as before. Color, 

 purplish black ; four white stripes tinged with the ground color, the two 

 upper blending on joint 2, the lower situated below the stigmata ; venter 

 pale with purple black spots in the middle of the joints ; head striped 

 with broken whitish lines ; thoracic feet pale. Towards the last of this 

 stage the black stripes are separable into a paler center and a darker 

 border line ; the pale a little lilac tinted. Duration of this period 7 days. 



After 2nd moult. — Length, .85 inch. Colors much as before, four 

 dark and five light stripes, the pale of the dorsum making a pale stripe, 

 each stripe double ; the pale stripes are lilac color, but the two dark 

 stripes on the dorsum have prominent darker patches in the dark border- 

 ing lines on the posterior part of joints 4 and 5, and some on the joints 

 back of these, being a spreading of these lines towards the centre of the 

 body, so that between the two there is only a fine lilac line. Piliferous 

 spots black, but so small as to be scarcely perceptible ; head about as 

 during preceding stage ; venter with a prominent black patch on middle 

 of each joint. Duration of this period 3 days. 



After 3rd moult. — Length, 1.35 inches. Developing more into the 

 usual Catocala larva shape, slightly flattening and fusiform. Striped as 

 before, but paler ; ground color, pale lilac ; the bordering lines to the 

 stripes black, broken into dots and short bars, the central part of the 

 stripes mottled with black, the mottling in the dark stripes heavier than 



