142 



PSYCHE. 



[December, 1900. 



LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GEOMETRIDAE.— XVII. 



BY HARRISON G. DYAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



Abbotana clematttria Abb. & Smith. The 

 mature larva has been figured by Abbot. 

 Packard briefly describes this figure and 

 Bruce has published a short note on the food 

 plants. 



Effg. Laid in a large mass of about 300, 

 closely on a twig, all erect on the smaller 

 end like Clisiocampa, but naked. Elliptical, 

 flattened on two sides and a little concave, 

 the larger end distinctly flattened truncate, 

 side view slightly wedge-shaped. Reticula- 

 tions very faint, not showing as lines, but as 

 slight, roundly hexagonal flattenings, except 

 just around the rim of the apical truncation 

 where they form a row of slightly raised 

 ridges composed of the raised sides of one 

 series of cells, rather broad and diffuse, and 

 at the micropyle where there are some small, 

 rather distinct reticulations. Size .7 X .55 

 X. 45 mm. 



Stage I. Head broad, rounded, flattened 

 before, mouth pointed ; free, black, epistoma 

 and labrum pale whitish ; width.3mm. Body 

 slender, but not greatly elongated, flattened 

 dorso-ventrally. Broadly black dorsally and 

 ventrally leaving a white lateral stripe from 

 joint 2 to the anal plate, which is pale with 

 reddish central and lateral lines. Cervical 

 shield dark like the dorsum, obscure. Anal 

 feet reddish, those of joint 10 darker than 13. 

 Setae dusky with small glandular tips, rather 

 stout, arising from moderate tubercles, paler 

 than the ground color but not contrasting, i 

 and ii nearly in line, iii below ii, iv substigma- 

 tal posterior, no subprimaries ; four setae on 

 the cervical shield, two detached. The white 

 side stripe covers the leg plate of joint 13, not 

 that of 10; claspers of feet pale. Segments 

 finely, not very regularly annulate. Thoracic 

 feet pale, darker shaded outwardly. On eat- 

 ing, the white parts became greenish and the 

 dark ones turned pale vinous. 



Stage II. Head rounded bilobed, clypeus 

 moderate, sunken, lobes full; slaty black, 

 epistoma and antennae white, mouth pale; 

 width .6 mm. Body moderate, somewhat 

 robust, smooth, scarcely' annulate; entirely 

 slaty black, only the claspers of abdominal 

 feet pale yellowish. Tubercles small, dark, 

 setae rather distinct, dusky, short. Skin not 

 shining except slightly in the folds. Later 

 shining olivaceous slaty black, no marks. 



Stage III. Head rounded, full, slightly 

 bilobed, apex free from joint 2, clypeus large, 

 broad, moderately high ; slaty black, labrum 

 and labium white, slight white streakings 

 on the sides above ocelli; width 1.2 mm. 

 Body rather robust, not greatly elongated, 

 wrinkly subannulate, especially posteriorly 

 on the segments, smooth, the .tubercles 

 slightly elevated, especially on joint 12 pos- 

 teriorly. Anal plate broadly triangular, 

 rounded at the tip ; anal prongs thick ; anal 

 feet projecting laterally. All brownish black 

 not shining, no distinct marks; foot of joint 

 10 outwardly pale; venter atrace lighter than 

 dorsum, obscurely longitudinally streaked. 

 Tubercles iv and v obscurely white ringed • 

 setae short, black. Thoracic feet black, 

 equal, appressed. Later the color is bronzy 

 black centrally, duller at the ends, the tub- 

 ercles a little elevated and lumpy, especially 

 a subdorsal prominence on joint 3 which 

 forms a more or less distinct dorsal collar. 



Stage IV. Head rounded, slightly bilobed 

 flattened before, free from joint 2 ; lobes 

 full ; clypeus to vertex, the paraclypeal pieces 

 obscure ; slaty black, the lower part of clypeus 

 mottled with pale and the sides of lobes 

 streaked; labrum and epistoma whitish, dull; 

 antennae short, brown ; width 2.2 mm. 

 Body cylindrical, rather thick, robust, uni 

 form ; joint 3 anteriorly dorsally strongly 

 collared, with a double lateral finger shaped 



