THE SEMITROPICAL ARMY WORM. 57 



joint 5, sharply reappearing at joint ii posteriorly, then pale yellow, centered 

 with blackish mottlings at the centers of the segments and red above these; 

 subventral region black-shaded, strongly so on joints 2 to 5, weakly on the ab- 

 domen, white-dotted, paling to the venter ; thoracic feet dark brown, the ab- 

 dominal ones pale brown, shining; a single cylindrical, round-tipped neck gland 

 reaching to the end of the labial palpi ; crochets of abdominal feet in a single 

 row, dark ; tubercle iv slightly above middle of spiracle on joint 7. [Harrison 

 (}. Dyar.l 



ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION. 



This is a Lower Austral form and jn-obably of tropical origin. In 

 the National Museum are specimens from Cocoaniit Grove, Crescent 

 City, and Orlando, Fla. The species is also recorded from Talla- 

 hassee, and reported from St. Augustine and the region about the 

 Manatee Kiver in Florida. From Texas Ave have specimens from Bos- 

 que County (Belfrage) and Dallas, and there are specimens col- 

 lected at Periutmbuco, Benito Province. Brazil, by jNIr. Albert Koebele. 

 Dr. J. B. Smith records the insect from Georgia and Central and 

 South America, and Grote records it from California. This indi- 

 cates a range extending from Brazil to Mexico, Central America, and 

 the Antilles, and from Florida westward through tlie Gulf region and 

 Texas to California. 



LITERATURE AND HISTORY. 



Considering the fact that this species is really common in the 

 South and that it feeds gregarioush^ and voraciously, it is somewhat 

 remarkable that it has not hitherto attracted attention by its depre- 

 dations. The moth was described by Pierre Cramer in 1782. ^ " 

 Its natural food plants were known to Smith and Abbot, who wrote 

 of it in their classic work published in 1797.- The illustration ac- 

 companying that work, though over-colored as usual, depicts a per- 

 fectly recognizable moth of this species but a too-brilliant and light- 

 colored larva. Light and dark forms of the moth are figured. The 

 species is mentioned as Phalarui pliytolaccw and is compared with the 

 related Prodenia commelhut' and Laphygma frugiperda,, which form 

 the subject of the two plates and ])ages innnediately j^receding the 

 account of j)hytolaccce . 



As Smith and Abbot's work is not accessible lo many, the following 

 copy of their account of this insect is re]:)ulilished : 



Phal^na pmytolacc.k. Poke-weed moth. 

 I'hytolaccn drraitdru. Linn. A'irginian poko-wee<l. 



Ph. XoctHH spirilinguis cristata. alls detlexis: primoribns liiscd striatis 

 puncto obscuro margiue postico uigro maculato; auteriori punctato. 



" Xnnibers in sui)erior type I'el'cr to corresponding numerals in the appended 

 l>ibliograi»hical list (p. 70). 

 GO — v 



