103 



through it the green of the leaf upon which it its deposited. It is 

 shining, glassj", iridescent, the surface linely granulated and rugose. 

 The outline is tolerably variable — a broad oval, nearly round. The 

 length is about 0.7"^"' and the width 0.6'"". 



The eggs are deposited in rather regular overlapping masses of 

 from three to twenty, a portion of a mass often showing a hexagonal 

 arrangement inclosing one egg. The favorite place of oviposition is 

 on the lower surface of a leaf. 



T/h' lartHi. — The larva when first hatched is clear, grayish white 

 in color, and the markings of maturity show but faintly, being few in 

 numlxH', totally unlike those of the full-grown individual. After 

 feeding, the green of the leaf shows plainl}" through the outer 

 integument. A half-grown larva is shown in the illustration at 7k 



T/tr iiiotli. — This species is a member of the superfamily Pyralidina, 

 family Pyraustidae, and has recently been placed in the genus Phlyc- 

 tfenodes Guen., (Hampson, Pr. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1899, p. 208) though 

 still catalogued under Loxostege in our latest list (Smith's List Lepid. 

 Boreal Amer. , 1891). The earliest description attributed to the species 

 is by Francis Walker (Catalogue Lepidopterous Ins. Coll. Brit. Mus., 

 part XVII, p. 399), who gave it the name hopteryx (.^) ohllteraUs. The 

 type locality is " United States," the date of description, 1859. 



The moth is of moderate size and may be recognized b}^ the aid of 

 the accompanjnng figure (lig. 28, a). The general color is described by 

 Grote & Robinson, who gave a detailed characterization of the female 

 under the name of Botyfi marculenta from Pennsylvania (Trans. Araer. 

 Entom. Soc, vol. I, p. 23, 1807), as pale ochre-3'ellow. It is very 

 pale, corresponding rather closely to, though lighter than, the '"'cream 

 bull" of Ridgway's Nomenclature. The darker brownish markings 

 are described asolisolete, and though rather faint or suffused in some 

 places the pattern is usually quite constant though moderately varia- 

 ble in distinctness. In the paler individuals the lighter poi'tions of the 

 wings are transkicent and more or less strongly iridescent. The lower 

 surface of the wings is more strongly iridescent. In dark individuals, 

 the marginal bands of the wings are sometmics very broad and 

 heav3\ '^^^ expanse of the fore-wings is about seven-eighths of an 

 inch (21-23"""). The body of the female is rather stout, and measures 

 with the head about half the wing expanse. 



The moth although nocturnal in ha])it is quite active when the least 

 disturbed, and flies oft' with a quick darting motion. 



The larva. — ^The larva is of unu.sual beauty. The general color 

 when full grown is rather pale yellowish green, variegated Avith deeper 

 green and with numerous very large and more or loss rounded and 

 polished somewhat rugose black spots, arranged as shown in the illus- 

 tration (tig. 28, 1)). The head is a biMghter yellow with orange mottling, 

 as is also the cervical shield or anterior portion of the lirst thoracic 



