THE COTTON STAINER. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The cotton stainer of the United States is known only from Florida, 

 Georgia, and portions of South Carolina and Alabama. Except in 

 Florida it occurs in small numbers. 



Outside of the United States this insect is known from the upper 

 West Indian Islands, namely, Bahamas, Cuba, and Porto Rico. 

 There is a doubtful record of its occurrence in Brazil. The evidence 

 available at this time seems to show rather conclusively, however, 

 that it does not extend south of Porto Rico. In the lower islands 

 of the West Indies it is replaced by other species. 



DESCRIPTION. 



The following description of the adult insect is taken from an 

 account by Dr. L. O. Howard.^ 



"The adult bug varies in length from 10 mm. to 15 mm. (0.4 to 0.6 

 inch) . The hinder portion of the thorax and of the \ving-covers varies 

 from dark brown to black, the latter being crossed wdth narrow 

 lines of light yellow, as shown in Figure 52, h [fig. 2, h]. The head 

 and forepart of the thorax are red, varying from light to dark. The 

 underside of the body is bright red, wdth the segments outlined by 

 narrow light-3'ellow bands. The antennae are l)lack, as are also all 

 tibiae and tarsi; the femora or thighs are red. The beak is red, 

 except the last joint Avhich is black. All of these colorational mark- 

 ings vary considerably in intensity." 



The eggs are oval, light yellow in color, and when magnified 

 show a finely reticulated surface. They are deposited loosely in 

 the sand or earth or upon the food plants. Each female deposits 

 about 100 eggs. 



The immature stages of this insect (fig. 1) resemble the adult in 

 form and coloration, although the general color of the body is some- 

 what more reddish. 



FOOD PLANTS. 



The cotton stainer has a number of food plants. The only ones 

 of any special importance aside from cotton are the orange and the 

 eggplant. The damage to cotton far surpasses that to the other 

 plants. In the case of the orange the habit of the insect is to attack 

 the fruit at about the time it is ripening. This is evidently a tem- 

 porary habit, probably induced by the general scarcity of the normal 

 food plants at the time the oranges are ripening. The injury to 

 eggplants was recorded in 1896 by Prof. A. L. Quaintance, but 

 does not seem to have been considerable. 



Among the wild plants upon which this insect feeds are Hibis- 

 cus sp., as well as several others including guava, Spanish cocklebur 



» Insect Life, vol. 1, pp. 237-238, 1889. 



