LEPIDOPTERA 



701 



Fig. 888. — EuchcEtias egle, larva. 



containing a series of black dots (Fig. 8S7) ; the hind wings are pink, 

 with a black outer margin, which is bordered within by a narrow white 

 line. The species occurs in the Atlantic States and west to Texas. 



The harlequin milk- 

 weed caterpillar, Euchce- 

 tias egle. — This larva is 

 the most common cater- 

 pillar found on milkweed. 

 It is clothed with tufts of 

 orange, black, and white; 

 those at each end of the 

 body are longer than the 

 others and are arranged 

 radiately (Fig. 888). 

 When full grown the lar- 

 va makes a felt-like co- 

 coon composed largely of 

 its hairs. The adult has 

 mouse-gray wings ; the 

 abdomen is yellow, with 

 a row of black spots 

 along the middle of the 

 back. 



The genus Apantesis. — A very large munber of species of tiger- 

 moths belong to the genus Apantesis. These are perhaps the most 



striking in appearance of all 

 members of the family. The 

 fore wings are velvety black 

 marked with yellowish or 

 pink bands; in some species 

 the lighter color predomin- 

 ates, so that the fore wings 

 appear to be yellow or pink, 

 spotted with black. The 

 hind wings are red, pink, or 

 yellow, and are margined 

 or spotted with black. The 

 thorax is usually marked 

 with three black stripes, of which the lateral ones are bonie by the 

 patagia and tegulse. There is also a black line or a row of black spots 

 along the middle of the back of the abdomen, and a similar row of 

 spots on each side. Our most common species of this genus is virgo 

 (Fig. 889). The larva of this species feeds on pigweed and other un- 

 cultivated plants, and winters in the larval state. 



The salt-marsh caterpillar, Estigmene acrcea. — The popular name 

 of this insect was given to it by Harris, nearly a century ago, and 

 was suggested by the fact that the salt-marsh meadows near Boston, 

 where is now the Back Bay quarter of the city, were overrun and 

 laid waste in his time by swarms of the larvee. But the name is 

 misleading, as the species is widely distributed throughout the 



Apantesis virgo. 



