58 



In the Tenth Report from this office, a brief paragraph contain- 

 ing no new information is devoted to this species. In the Report 

 of the Entomologist of the United States Department of Agriculture 

 printed in the Report of the Department for 1881 and 1882, Mr. 

 Riley speaks of this species while discussing insect injuries to grow- 

 ing rice, noting its occasional injury to that plant, and making sug- 

 gestions for the arrest of its ravages when they become serious. In 

 Mr, J. A. Lintner's First Report as State Entomologist of New York 

 (188'2), the grass worm is simply included in a list of species in- 

 jurious to the apple. 



NOMENCLATURE. 



This insect, as already remarked, was first described under the 

 name of Fhalana frugiperda, and has since received the scientific 

 names of Prodenia daggyi, Riley; Prodenla autinnnalis, Riley; and 

 Laphygma friigijjerda, usually incorrectly printed Laphrygma in 

 the articles of Walsh and Riley.) 



Its common names have been equally numerous. The prevalent 

 one in the Southern States is, apparently, the "grass worm" or 

 "grass caterpillar," while to the northward it has been, perhaps 

 more generally, called the "fall army worm." Riley first gave to it 

 the name of wheat cutworm, and by many it is erroneously styled 

 the "army worm," on the supposition that it is the fall brood of 

 that far more common and destructive pest. In order to avoid this 

 erroneous association of our species w'ith the common army worm, 

 it seems to me decidedly best that the name of fall army ivorm 

 should be dropped and that of grass ivorm be commonly used in- 

 stead. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Imago. — Front wings narrow, apex broadly rounded. General col- 

 or brownish grey, varied with bluish white, dusky and fulvous. A 

 bluish white patch at the apex of the wing, usually containing a 

 few^ black points. Subterminal line arcuate, of the same color, con- 

 tinuous with this patch in front, sometimes obsolete at the terminal 

 angle of the wing, but sometimes complete. Before the subtermi- 

 nal line and within the apical patch is a dark blotch upon the 

 middle of the wing, which sometimes contains one or two triangular 

 black points. Transverse anterior and transverse posterior lines 

 sometimes obsolete, when present, double, zigzag. Base of wing 

 slightly paler, with a longitudinal black blotch in the middle. 

 Orbicular spot obliquely oval, pale testaceous, with an oblique mark 

 of same color immediately without. Reniform spot obscure, distin- 

 guished in front and behind by small whitish blotches, the posterior 

 linear, often shaped like the letter e, the anterior variable. Upon 

 the costal margin, a series of whitish dashes, four of them between 

 the reniform spot and the apex, and as many more, obsolete, between 

 that and the base. Terminal line pale, subterminal space dark, 

 divided into quadrate blotches by the nervures. Fringe paler gray, 

 the scales tipped with black between the nervures. Under surface 



