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Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. X, No. 8 



hatched eggs are noticed in numbers scattered here and there over the 

 curled inside portions of the leaves. The young larva does not feed 

 immediately, but after an hour or so becomes active and crawls here and 

 there about the leaf in the neighborhood of the eggs. As the larva feeds, 

 the elastic or wrinkled skin slowly expands or is stretched out. Molting 

 only when transforming to the adult, it is provided with many of these 

 plaits for subsequent expansion. The expansion occurs in the abdominal 

 region principally and to a lesser extent in the posterior part of the 

 cephalothorax. After all the leaflike wrinkled skin is expanded and the 

 larva becomes sufficiently engorged, it assumes the quiescent stage. 

 The larva is very active and may be seen traveling here and there about 

 the masses of eggs and eggshells. It is surprising how much the larva 

 is capable of expanding without molting its skin. 



The larval period, like the ^gg stage, varies considerably in length, 

 depending on various circumstances, but the average of lo larvae taken 

 for the active stage is about seven days — that is, from the time the 

 larva emerges until it enters the quiescent stage. The larvae may be 

 found from November until the last of March. The active stage of the 

 larva is considerably longer than that of the quiescent stage. (See 

 Table II.) 



Table II. — Life-history notes on the larval stadium of the cyclamen m,ite 



