CUTWORMS AND ARMY-WORMS 287 



References 



Lintner, 1st Kept. State Ent. N. Y., pp. 99-110. 1882. 

 Forbes, 23rd Kept. State Ent. 111., pp. 29-31. 1905. 

 Dept. Agr. Canada Ent. Bull. 10, pp. 28-29. 1915. 



The Army Cutworm 



Chorizagrotis auxiliaris Grote, C. introferens Grote, C. agrestis Grote 



This is one of the most common and injurious species In 

 Colorado, IMontana, CaHfornia and Alberta. It is generally 

 distributed throughout western North America from Mexico 

 northward and as far east as Louisiana, Kansas and Manitoba. 

 It is distinctly a surface feeder, burrowing very little. When 

 abundant this species assumes the army-worm habit to a 

 marked degree ; in California it is known as the western army- 

 worm. Its food plants are cabbage, horse-radish, mustard, 

 turnip, beet, corn, pea, celery, tomato, potato, onion, rhubarb, 

 alfalfa, lupine, clover, timothy and other grasses, wheat, oats, 

 barley, rye and strawberry. The caterpillars also climb and 

 feed on the buds of fruit- and forest-trees. 



The winter is passed as partly grown larvae on or in the 

 ground. In IMontana they become mature in early April. 

 The full-grown caterpillar is 1^ to 2 inches in length, dull green 

 to greenish brown with the back broadly pale or with two broad, 

 lighter dorsal stripes. The underside is lighter, nearly white 

 at the level of the spiracles. The dark side is divided by a 

 fine pale line and the light dorsum strongly shaded with white ; 

 the head is light yellow mottled with brown but without brown 

 stripes on the sides. Occasionally the larva is almost uniform 

 dark green above except for two rows of pale patches on the 

 back. Pupation takes place in earthen cells in the ground 

 two or three inches from the surface. The dark brown pupa 

 is about f inch in length. The moths emerge in about two 

 months or from the last of June to the middle of July. The 



