80 



FRUIT INSECTS 



Fig. 82 — Spring canker- 

 worm, female moth (X2). 



IJ inches. The wings have a silky dehcate appearance, the 



hind ones being unmarked and pale ash gray ; on the slightly 

 darker, pale brownish-gray front wings 

 usually three transverse, jagged, dark 

 lines can be discerned, especially on 

 the front edge of the wings (Fig. 81). 

 The egg-laden wingless females are nearly 

 J an inch long and of a rabbit-gray 

 color, with white bands on the legs and 

 usually a distinct black stripe along the 

 middle of the back (Fig. 82). Both 

 sexes of the moths have on top of each 

 of the first seven abdominal segments 

 two** transverse rows of sharp reddish 

 spines projecting backward ; as there are 

 no spines on the moths of the fall canker- 

 worm it is easy to distinguish the two species of canker-worms 



in the moth stage. 



A single female moth of the spring canker-worm may lay over 



400 eggs, which she tucks away in small, irregular pits or clusters 



in the crevices under bark scales and moss on the trunk and 



larger limbs of the trees. The delicate, slightly ridged, oval 



eggs are about 5^0 of an inch long 



and of a dark iridescent metaUic 



buff or purplish color (Fig. 83). 



The eggs hatch early in May, and 



the caterpillars feed for about a 



month on the pulpy portions of the 



leaves, thus skeletonizing them. 



The full-grown caterpillars are 



about an inch long, slender, and 



have but two pairs of pro-legs, 



thus being readily distinguished from the fall canker-worms, 



with their short third pair of pro-legs (Fig. 84). The spring 



Fig. 83. — Eggs 

 canker-worm. 



of the spring 

 Enlarged. 



