190 PSYCHE [Oct. — Dec. 



LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN GEOMETRIDAE. — XLHI. 



I!Y HARRISON G. DYAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



MetroiiDHpa praegraiidaria Guenee. 



Egrr. Elliptical, thick, one diameter less, evenly rounded, the ends nearly alike, no 

 depression or truncation. Laid in small groups, erect on the antemicropylar end. strongly 

 adherent. Reticulations regularly hexagonal, small, narrow, obscure, not raised; on the 

 large sides there is an indication of ribbing in that the reticulations are more longitudinally 

 placed ; ends smoother. Yellow, turning red. Size .8 X .6 X .55 mm. Hatched in 11 days. 



Stage I. Head round, bilobed, pale brown, sutures darker; width about .4 mm. Body 

 short, rather robust, subventral fold widened a little segmentarily. Pale yellowish, a broad 

 dorsal, narrow linear subdorsal and substigmatal dark red lines; a row of subventral red 

 spots on joints 5 to 9. The lines do not quite reach the ends and are somewhat broken in 

 the annulet folds. Cervical shield large, but concolorous. Tubercles small, brownish. Setae 

 distinct, pale, moderate, scarcely enlarged at the tips. Abdominal feet on joints 10 and 13 

 onh". 



Stage. II. Head bilobed, luteous, immaculate: width .6 mm. Bod3' moderate, pale 

 green, dorsal line broad, subdorsal narrow, lateral clouded, substigmatal and traces of sub- 

 ventral lines all vinous brown, the latter three obscurely joined by large clouded patches on 

 joints 5 to 9. Feet pale; tubercles obsolete ; setae short, obscure. 



Stage III. Head rounded, bilobed, dull luteous with distinct brown dots behind the 

 eyes and faint ones in the vertical suture ; width .9 mm. Body moderate, uniform, segments 

 irregularlj' annulate; ^ellow luteous, dorsal line narrow, dark brown, broadly edged with 

 light brown, subdoi sal and lateral lines dark brown, the latter joined by large segmentary 

 spots to upper and lower subventral lines, shaded on joints 10-13. Feet pale ; tubercles 

 small, slightly raised; setae short, dusky. 



Stage IV. Head pale greenish brow n, finely dotted with dark ovei' the lobes except a 

 streak on the vertex of each ; width 1.2 mm. Body moderately elongate, feet of joints 10 and 

 13 remote and a small pair of feet on joint 9, the feet approximate ; segments wrinkly', irreg- 

 ularly annulate, uniform, smooth. Olivaceous \ellowish, shaded with brown. Dorsal line 

 dark brown in a lighter brown cloud ; subdorsal, lateral, and stigmatal lines narrow, light, 

 indicated by clouded brown edges; a distinct substigmatal line and subventral spots of dark 

 brown. Feet pale, the anal ones projecting laterally. Tubercles concolorous, with dark hair 

 dots ; setae fine, pale ; in the subventral region some pale secondary root-like prominences 

 are mixed with the longer setae of tubercles vi and vii. (These prominences are not present 

 in stage HI and the extia feet are barely indicated.) The intersegment of joints 7-8 is more 

 darkly shaded; dorsal tubercles more or less brown marked. The larvae rest flat on the 

 bark. 



Stage V. Head bilobed, thick, greenish white with numerous angular black spots com- 

 posed of dots which are larger in a curved band from ocelli to before vertex, framing the 

 face ; width i.S mm. Body moderate, flattened ventrally, with a series of white rootlets along 

 the subventral edge ; feet on joints 9, 10, and 13, those of joint 9 small, but used. Bark brown, 

 wrinkly, dorsal line dark, subdorsal, lateral and two subventral lines pale, fine, all obscure; 

 sulnlorsal daik inlcrscgmental bloti:hes, especiallv centrallw darkest on the intersegment 



