DESCRIPTION. 7 



shown in Plate lY, figure h. It will be noticed that there arc only 

 three pairs of prolegs, or prop legs, in addition to the anal pair. This 

 larva when quite young is pale greenish-yellow, showing very little 

 characteristic marking. This is not shown in the figure, because the 

 basis was a photograph, and it could not be filled out on account of 

 the growth of the material after the first photograph. 



It will be noticed at first that the larva when extended at fuU 

 length is decidedly slender, more so than any species of Autographa. 

 The striping is similar to that of A. hrassicse, and the larva is inclined 

 to be translucent throughout the stages. When at rest, the body 

 may be held perfectly straight, as in the case of geometrids or inch- 

 worms. This habit, together with the coloration, which is very 

 similar to that of its food plant, renders the larva decidedly incon- 

 spicuous ; indeed, it furnishes a most excellent example of protectional 

 coloration. 



Technical descriptions of the different stages foUow. That of the 

 adult is from Hampson (8) and those of the immature stages are 

 from Riley (5, 6). 



THE ADULT. 



c? . Head and thorax orange yellow, irrorated with brown; abdomen brown above. 

 Forewing fuscous, suffused with purple gray; a large yellow patch irrorated with red 

 occupying the whole basal half of wing except the inner margin; irregular ante and 

 post medial red lines meeting at inner margin, the latter produced to an irregular angle 

 beyond the lower angle of cell, then excurved to its lower angle; a white speck in cell; 

 a dentate submarginal line, the area beyond it brown; the cilia white at tips. Hind 

 wing dark fuscous; the cilia white at tips. Underside of forewing with the costal and 

 outer area pale, speckled with red; hind wing pale, the costal area speckled with red. 



9 . Bright orange yellow; forewing slightly red speckled and with slight purplish 

 suffusion below the postmedial line; the cilia white at tips. 



(Larva. With tliree pairs of abdominal prolegs. Grass green, with dorsal and lateral 

 series of minute white specks; the prolegs reddish. Food-plant Hibiscus.) 



THE EGG. 



Diameter 0.8 mm., circular, flat below; the upper surface varies somewhat in con- 

 vexity, in some being almost hemispherical, whilst with others it is quite flat, in general 

 shape and size reminding one of the egg of Aletia xylina [Alabama argillacea]. Color, 

 pale yellowish green, almost of the same shade as the lower side of the leaves. The 

 number of ribs which run from the base toward the summit varies in different eggs 

 from 31 to 38. Of these ribs from 11 to 13 reach to about one-fourth the distance above 

 the base, 5 to 7 halfway toward the summit, and 16 to 18 to near the summit. The 

 space between these ribs is divided quite constantly by 12 low transverse ribs, which 

 at the intersection with the radiating ribs form a small though quite sharp triangular 

 point, which is especially conspicuous in the empty egg. The spaces between these 

 ribs form shallow, squarish depressions, which are finely granulate. The summit 

 is almost smooth, siurounded with tliree series of small, roundish cells, which become 

 larger away from the centt^r, and beyond these another series of three rows of larger 

 cells of different shapes, though more or less squarish. 



