438 



PSYCHE. 



[December i8gg. 



nae are commonly ferruginous or ferru- and Los Angeles July 26. According 



gineo-testaceous. Immature specimens to Mr. Morse P. virgata flies only a 



of one or the other species were also little but leaps fairly well notwithstand- 



taken in California at Colton July 17 ing its slender legs. 



LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GEOMETRIDAE. — VII. 



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



Mesoleuca intermediataGuen. This larva 

 has not been previously described. 



Egg- Regularly elliptical, one end 

 slightly truncate, but roundediv; from side 

 view somewhat wedge-shaped, the truncate 

 end the thicker; surface covered with flat- 

 tened elongate hexagonal cell-areas, making 

 it a many-sided polyhedron, the areas 

 scarcely at all sunken ; size .7 x .55 x .3 mm. 



Stage I. Head round, virhitish, eye black, 

 mouth brown; width about .3 mm. Body 

 slender cylindrical, colorless, transparent, 

 food dark green. No tubercles nor shields 

 perceptible; setae short and fine, obscure, 

 pale. No marks, the skin slightly shining ; 

 segments slightly moniliform, joint 10 a lit- 

 tle widened at the sides, but not marked. 



St<ige II. Head paleyellowish, eye black, 

 mouth brown ; width about .5 mm. Body 

 smooth, slightly shining, transparent, all 

 dark green from the food, tracheal line white. 

 No marks and no perceptible tubercles or 

 setae, which under a strong lens are fine and 

 small, the tubercles colorless. 



Stage III. Head round, about as high as 

 joint 2, not bilobed, dull yellowish, the setae 

 distinct, pale; ocelli black; width about .85 

 mm. Skin transparent, yellowish, the cen- 

 tral part of the body light brown by trans- 

 parency, till filled with food when all appears 

 dark green. Tracheal line white; feet clear 

 yellowish: no marks. Setae moderatel3' 

 long, fine, dusky ; tubercles small, colorless ; 

 spiracles brown. Later there are faint, nar- 



row, whitish addorsal and subdorsal lines 

 between which a dorsal white shade appears, 

 joining them. 



Stage IV. Head rounded, the apex under 

 joint 2, translucent luteous, a bioad black 

 band to apex of each lobe before ocelli ; width 

 1.4 mm. Body very pale ocherous brown, 

 marked with irregular shades of brown-black. 

 A narrow dorsal line, edged by the whitish 

 addorsal one; subdorsal line whitish, edged 

 above by black; a waved, geminate lateral 

 brown line; a few faint ventral streaks and 

 double interseginental spots. Dorsally a 

 series of large patches on joints 6, 7, 8 and 9 

 posteriorly. The first is a spot on each side 

 of the dorsal line behind a widening of that 

 line; the second has these marks united into 

 a V; the others are large patches extending 

 between tubercles i and ii notched before and 

 behind. A heavy lateral shading on thorax: 

 also dorsal dots, formed by the widening of 

 the dorsal line on the anterior edges of joints 

 6 tog; a dark dot at tubercle ii of joint 10 

 and a heavy shade over the sides of joints 10 

 to 13 and on the foot of joint 10. Posterior 

 half of the foot of joint 12 and the anal plate 

 pale. Setae fine, pale; the venter has six 

 obscure, whitish, longitudinal lines. 



Cocoon a slight web in the ground. 



Larvae from Chain Bridge, Virginia. 

 Eggs June 30th, mature larvae July 17th and 

 imagoes again July 30th. 



Food plant. Jewel weed {Impatiens.) 



