SPECIES ATTACKING JOINTS INTERNALLY. 29 



measure 2 mm. in length by 7 mm. in width. The surface is beautifully 

 reticulated with wavy raised lines anastomosing obliquely. The eggs are 

 cemented together with a brownish glue which, under the pressure exerted upon 

 the mass, is squeezed out at the sutures between each two eggs in the stick 

 and hardens there, forming a ring or collar which always adheres to the egg 

 beneath when two eggs in the stick are separated. It sometimes has the appear- 

 ance of a circle of spinules, owing to the corrugations of the surface upon which 

 it is moulded. 



The young larvae of Melitara prodenialis, on hatching from the eggs, feed for 

 a time externally upon the bud-like leaves of Opuntia. When they become 

 larger and stronger they cut through the silicious skin of the pads. The wounds 

 made by them in the plant exude a gummy liquid, and a scab-like crust is 

 formed. Under this the larvae live in companies, large or small, according to 

 the size of the plant, until they are about one-third grown. After this they 

 burrow deeply into the substance of the succulent steins. The larva?, as long 

 as they live upon or near the exterior of the plant, are light brown in color, 

 but after they burrow into the pulp and approach their full size, they attain a 

 most beautiful dark-blue color. In pupating they form a loose cocoon of yellow 

 silk, which is concealed somewhere about the Opuntia clump, usually under a 

 prostrate pad. 



There appear to be two broods produced during the year, since 

 moths were found issuing in Florida in June and again in October. 



Melitara fernaldialis Hulst. 1 



This species, which occurs in Arizona and New Mexico, has not 

 been found breeding in Opuntia, but was found by Mr. Hubbard to 

 infest the giant cactus, C evens giga.nteus. In all probability it will 

 be found to attack Opuntias in the region in which it occurs. In 

 fact, in May Mr. F. C. Pratt discovered a larva which may have been 

 of this species in Opuntia engelmcmni at Tucson, Ariz. This larva 

 discharged its excrement through an opening in the surface of the 

 leaves exactly as does the form which occurs in the western portion 

 of Texas. Apparently the same form was observed by Mr. Pratt at 

 Albuquerque, N. Mex., in June. At Sante Fe, N. Mex., during the 

 same month, about 30 per cent of the plants of Opuntia arborescens 

 were more or less injured. Unfortunately, it was impossible to rear 

 any of these larva 1 . Our supposition that they were of the species 

 fernald-ialis is based upon the known range of that form and the 

 fact thai they appeared to be different from the Melitara larvae ob- 

 served in Texas. 



Gerstseckeria porosa Le Conte. 2 



The presence of the weevil Gersteecheria porosa Le Conte is readily 

 shown by the occurrence of flat discolored areas about three-fourths 

 inch in diameter on the surface of the joints. In the early stages of 

 attack these areas are yellowish, but later become whitish. They 

 cover the cavities excavated by the larva?. 



1 Order Lcpidoptera, Family Pyralida\ 



2 Order Coleoptera, Family Curculionidae. 



