THE RED-BANDED THRIPS. 25 



HABITS OF THE PREPUPA AND PUPA. 



The prepupje remain clustered so closely that they almost touch 

 each other and are almost motionless. However, if alarmed or 

 disturbed they move rapidly away. At all times they carry the 

 antennse, which are freely motile, out in front of the head. The pre- 

 pupse change to the pupa3 in among the colony of prepupas and 

 larva3 on the leaf. Wlien the prepupa is ready to molt, the skm is 

 ruptured over the head and gradually worked off at the posterior end 

 by contractions of the bodv, and the cast skin is left behind on the 

 leaf. 



The pupae, while they possess the power of motion, are more slug- 

 gish, and will not move ar<nmd unless disturbed or exposed to a strong 

 light. They carry the antemifc folded back over the head onto the 

 prothorax. In recently formed ])upa3 the reticulations on the body 

 are absent, as also are the ocelli; but as the pupae develop, the ocelli 

 gradually appear between the eyes and tlu^ reticulations gradually 

 become evident, until they are extremely heavy and distinct. As 

 the pupae become nearl}^ mature, the bod}^ begins to turn darker, 

 until just before emergence of the adults the pupae are almost black. 

 The adults emerge from the pupte in the same mamier that the 

 younger stages molt; they then move away for a short distance* and 

 remain more or less motionless until the cliitin hardens. Within a 

 day the full colors have developed niid the adults begin feeding. 



FOOD PLANTS. 



In Florida this insect has been found feeding on the avocado 

 {Persea gratissima) and mango {Mangifera indica), causing serious 

 injury to these })lants. 



Maxwoll-Lefroy recorded it on cashew, guava {Psidium guajava), 

 cacao (Theohroma cacao), and Liberian coffee (Coffea liherica), and 

 Ballon recorded it on the wild guava (Anacardium occidentale) and 

 cotton. Urich recorded it as feeding on the cashew, cacao, guava, 

 roses, the Mexican almond or umbrella tree (Tertninalia catappa), and 

 mango. Franklin also recorded its occurrence on the cacao and kola 

 (Sterculia acuminata). 



LIFE CYCLE. 



The writer has worked out the complete life cycle of this insect in 

 the greenhouse at Washington, but for lack of time failed to follow it 

 through successfully while in the field at Miami. In the greenhouse 

 the egg required from 15 to 16 days for incubation, with an average 

 mean temperature of 77° to 78°. (See Table I.) 



