642 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 10 



to indicate that they act as scavengers. They would not attack Uving 

 larvae or pupae but did in one case eat the remains of a dead pupa that 

 had been eaten into. 



The pupal stage averages six days in July. The length of this stage 

 increases as the season advances. During August, this varied greatly, 

 from as short as five days to as long as fourteen days. In October, the 

 average was about nine days. 



The adults copulate soon after issuing and the eggs are deposited 

 within a few days. After all her eggs are deposited, the moth has 

 completed the life-cycle and dies, usually within a week after her 

 emergence. 



Thus the complete life-cycle requires about thirty-four days. 



Natural Enemies 



The most important enemies of Cosmophila are the different species 

 of wasps that prey upon them. Polistes americanum Fabr. was taken 

 in the act of chewing up a full-grown larva in an okra field. 



Numbers of a small hymenopteron, Chalcis ovata, have emerged 

 from pupae at different times, although the percentage of parasitization 

 is very small. These always emerge from the upper portion of the 

 pupa. No other internal parasites of the pupae or larvae have beenreared. 



Curious looking larvae of a small ground beetle, Callida decora Fabr.^ 

 are often seen in the act of attacking and devouring larvae of Cosmophila. 

 These larvae usually attack the caterpillar by the throat, holding on 

 until it gives up the fight and succumbs. They attack the full-grown 

 larvae as well as the younger ones and doubtless feed on the eggs as 

 they have been noticed to do in the case of the velvet bean caterpillar. 



The larva of this beetle is 7 mm. in length. It takes about a week 

 for the larva to mature. Upon reaching maturity, it pupates just 

 beneath the surface of the ground or beneath leaf-rubbish. The pupa 

 is whitish with dark-brown eyes, the body being covered with fine 

 golden-colored hairs. The pupa stage lasts four days. The adult is a 

 bluish-green carabid and is capable of living a month and a half without 

 food. 



Numbers of Cosmophila eggs were collected October 16 on leaves of 

 Abutilon. Many of these looked bluish or black in color as if parasit- 

 ized. On October 20, several minute hymenopterous parasites, 

 Trichogramma pretiosa Riley, issued from the eggs. 



A pentatomid, Euthrynchus floridanus, and a reduviid, Zelus bilobus, 

 and other predaceous hemiptera without doubt are important enemies, 

 as are also the insectivorous birds. 



1 This is an important enemy of the velvet bean caterpillar in Florida. Florida 

 Agr. Expt. Station Bull. 130. 



