-46- 



Biograhy of Acontia delecta, Walker. 

 By Archibald C. Weeks. 



The larvce (four in number) were taken when nearly full grown, 

 during the first week of Sejitember, 18S4; feeding upon the Hibisrns 

 moscIieii/os,l^., (Rose Mallow), on the meadows bctrdering the interior 

 of the Long Island beach. 



Upon reaching home they were placed on mallow leaves, the stems 

 of which were inserted in a glass ink-well filled with very moist earth. 

 They fed voraciously and on the second day after capture spun in the 

 earth at the base of the stems cjval cocoons, two-fifths of an inch in length 

 and firmly coated with clav. 



These were exposed to the normal temperature and kept thoroughly 

 moist, until July 5th, of the following year, when two of the imagines, 

 (^ and 9, appeared, reproducing the brilliant coloration of the larva — 

 the black, irregular, metallic L upon the white ground of the primaries, 

 with angle at the inner margin, contrasting strongly with the pale safiYon, 

 margined with a darker shade, of the secondaries — the maculatron above 

 being roughly and faintly pictured beneath. 



The following is a description of the larva : 



Length i'/^ inches. 



Head and first segment smaller than remainder of body. Head rounded, some- 

 what flattened on the sides, broader at bottom than at top, strongly cleft at summit, 

 ground color dirty white, mouth parts black ; ground color enclosing a triun_;ular 

 black space in front ; Ijottom, middle and summit of eyes with black spots, .--ometiaics 

 confluent ; eyes with exceedingly minute sparse hairs. 



Body cylindrical, considerably enlarged anteriorly on the 3rd and 4th segments. 

 Ground color dark, purjile. (Jn all segments a subdorsal line of black st)0t>, strongly 

 edged with orange, especially on the middle segments. On the 3rd and 4ih segn•|enI^, 

 directly below the 1st subdorsal line, appears a and double line of black spots in 

 pairs, each pair joined and mchided by an oval orange patch. On each of the oiher 

 segments are two other spots directly behind the first subdorsal. These are edged 

 with orange, especially in front, and more conspicuou.dy on the middle segments. 

 The black spots, especially at the middle segments, have a slightly tuberculous ten- 

 dency, and from each of them a single short minute black hair projects, barely visible 

 to the naked eye. There is also a row of sublateral patches, white anteriorly, oraii-e 

 posteriorly, broadest behind and narrowing towards the front, each patch containing 

 from 3 to 7 irregularly located and varying velvety black dots. The ist and and 

 pair of anal legs, are wanting. The larva is consequently geometriform, and has the 

 geometriform mode of progression. The fore legs are black with whitish orange 

 towards the base. Anal legs orange on the outside, their color being confluent with 

 the lateral patch -except in last pair. Anal legs somewhat projecting behind. A 

 cluster of 5 or 6 minute hairs projects horizontaUy and directly above and between 

 the anal claws. Tlie rows of subventral black dots nearly correspond as to position 

 M'ith the subdorsal but want color ; from each dot hairs similar to subdorsal project. 



