130 
begins feeding on the lettuce leaf. When full grown (Fig. 22, h, c, 
d) it is about an inch and a half long. It is usually dull, blackish 
brown, mottled with gray, some larvae being paler and others 
darker. A characteristic marking is a row of four to six yellowish 
dots along the median line of the back. This cutworm feeds at 
Fig. 22. Variegated Cutworm, Peridroma margaritosa: a. adult; 
h, larva, side view ; c, same, curled up ; d, dark-colored larva, 
seen from above ; c. single egg ; /, cluster of eggs on 
twig. All natural size except egg. 
night, and hides during the day in the soil just beneath die surface, 
or under boards or rubbish near the plant. It remains a cutworm 
for 25 to 30 days, and then goes into the ground and pupates in 
an oval earthen cell, usually found just below the surface. Fifteen 
to nineteen days later it comes out as a moth (Fig. 22, a). The 
pupa is shining reddish brown, growing darker with age. It is 
about an inch long, slightly pointed at one end and rouncled at the 
other. The moth measures about one and three quarters inches 
across the expanded wings. The fore wings are brownish, mottled 
with black or gray, the shades and markings varying considerably. 
The hind wings are nearly uniform grayish or pale brownish, with 
a darker border. Like the larva, the moth is nocturnal in habit, 
and the eggs are laid at night. The adult may live a week or more, 
but rarely lasts more than ten days. The complete life cycle in 
summer requires 45 to 54 days, but in winter, in greenhouses, the 
period is much longer. Out-of-doors there are two generations in 
a year, and in greenhouses probably four or more. According to 
various writers the wdnter may be passed outdoors in either the 
pupal, larval, or adult stage. 
