December, '17] dozier: life-history of the okra caterpillar 537 



Distribution 



Cosmophila erosa is principally a southern species and continues 

 breeding the year round with scarcely any intermission. Moths have 

 been captured in various parts of the South from July throughout the 

 winter till May. 



Grote gives Savannah, Ga., and Alabama as localities. According to 

 Riley, larvae of all stages were found in March, 1882, feeding on Urena 

 lohata at Crescent City, Fla. They could not be found on any other 

 plants. 



The following data from the manuscript of the List of Florida 

 Lepidoptera b}^ the late Mr. Grossbeck were supplied to me by Mr. 

 Frank E. Watson of the American Museum of Natural History: 

 "Cosmophila erosa Hbn., Lakeland, May 5, Fort Myers, April 26, 

 La Belle, April 27 (Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.); South Bay, Lake Okee- 

 chobee, April 29, 30 (Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., Davis.); Indian River 

 (Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.); Chokoloskee (Barnes); Hogtown Creek, Gaines- 

 ville, October 1 (F. E. Watson). 



"Extends northwards to Massachusetts and Montreal, westward to 

 Kansas and southward through Mexico and the Antilles to South 

 America, Occurs also in South Africa and in the Oriental and Austral- 

 ian regions. " 



Observations 



The writer first found the larvae of this species doing serious damage 

 to okra plants July 16, 1916, on several separately located plots. 

 The damage in these cases was very noticeable. On this date, the 

 plots were searched carefully and no adult moths were found, only 

 larvae — for the most part fullgrown, and numbers of pupae. An okra 

 field examined August 27 showed larvae and pupae in abundance. 



On August 8, it was noticed that nearly every leaf on numbers of the 

 cotton rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) plants on the station grounds was 

 seriously damaged. On this date and on the loth, the larvae were very 

 abundant. 



Large numbers of pupae and a few larvae were collected August 23 

 on bushes of the flowering maple (Abutilon striatum). The work was 

 similar to that done to okra plants but even more serious. The beauty 

 of these bushes as ornamentals was ruined, they being nearly defoliated. 

 Breeding was kept up steadily and, on September 2, eggs and larvae 

 were collected. Eggs were found in abundance on these plants again 

 on October 14. 



The caterpillars were found to have been working on plants of the 

 swamp or rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) August 24 and a pupa was 

 found on one of the leaves. 



