44 BULLETIN 190, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



narrow, violaceous-black, discal mark small, orange, fringes sordid black, 

 above and beneath. 



Female. — Differs from the male by the broader costa and wider margin 

 of the forewings. Only five yellow bands encircle the abdomen. The anal 

 tuft is narrower, black, slightly intermixed with yellow and the posterior 

 tibiae are broadly marked with black at the lower spurs. 



Expanse : Male 18 to 24 mm., female 20 to 30 mm. 



Distribution. — General from the Mississippi Valley regions to New 

 England and the Midwestern States. 



Type. — Female. In the United States National Museum. 



Remarks. — A very common species usually found in association with 

 its food plant, horsenettle (Solanum carolinense L.), in sandy regions and 

 neglected farmlands. Large numbers of the moths were collected by A. E. 

 Brower in such a combination at Willard, Mo., in 1919, and on his sugges- 

 tion a thorough search for the early stages of the insect was made at Tot- 

 tenville, Staten Island, N. Y., during August 1920 (G. P. Engelhardt 

 and W. T. Davis). The moths at that time were abundant, mostly freshly 

 emerged. A number of pupal exuviae were exposed on the surface near 

 the bases of Solanum plants, connected with flimsy silk-lined tubes 3 to 

 10 inches deep in the soil. Living pupae in some of the tubes quickly 

 descended to the very bottom when disturbed. Stems, annual sprouting 

 from deeply embedded main roots, showed no evidence of the borer's work. 

 Only the main roots from a foot or two under ground appeared to be 

 attacked ; this explains the construction of the long tubes to facilitate 

 emergence of the moths. The eggs, normally roundish and brown, are laid 

 in small clusters of three or more, on leaves and stems or dropped on the 

 ground. Underground main roots contained larvae in various stages of 

 growth during August. The principal season of emergence is August to 

 September, with occasional records as late as October. No spring or 

 early-summer records are at hand. 



United States National Museum records: Cadet, Mo., female type, 

 August 25, 1877? (Riley) ; Willard, Mo., long series, August 4-20, 1920 

 (A. E. Brower) ; Manhattan, Kans., one male, October 19, 1924; McKin- 

 ney, Collin County, Tex., one female, October 16, 1908 (E. S. Tucker) ; 

 Jackson, Miss., one male, September (E. S. Tucker) ; Red Level, Coving- 

 ton County, Ala., one male, August 12, 1923; Mobile (Chickasaw), Ala., 

 one female, October 12, 1930 (Van ?) ; Rabun, Ga., one male (dwarfed), 

 July 1910 (W. T. Davis) ; Southern Pines, N. C, two males, one female, 

 August 8-15; Clarksville, Tenn., two males, August 21 (G. E. Painter) ; 

 Norfolk, Va., male and female, September 6, 1901 (C. H. Popenoe) ; Nel- 

 son County, Va., male and female, August 10 (W. Robinson) ; Plummers 

 Island, Potomac River, Md., male and female, August 10, 1907 (W. L. 

 McAtee) ; Tottenville, Staten Island, N. Y., long series, August 11-14^ 



