26 



were feeding gregariously on leaves of some wild banana plants, 

 at the side of a gulch near the upper part of the sugar plantation, 

 at an elevation of about 1500 feet. I also collected several clusters 

 of their eggs from which I reared to maturity the caterpillars that 

 hatched. These eggs were nearly all parasitized, however, by the 

 tiny yellow Chalcid Hy {Tricogramma pretiosa) . The parasitized 

 ones being black, and the adult parasites emerged from tliem in 

 a few days. 



Life History 



The eggs are deposited in clusters on tlie under sufttce of banana 

 leaves. The number per cluster, in those I collected, was respec- 

 tively 30, 40, o2and 60. They are quite similar to other Omiodes 

 eggs, Imt less flat, and the clusters are put directly on the surface, 

 not in a groove or some such place as is customary with O. accepta 

 and O. blackburni, nor are they arranged in such regular rows. 



The freshly-hatched caterpillars are about 2 mm. in length; 

 very pale greenish; head not black as are those of O. accepta, Imt 

 with a black spot at eye-cluster. 



2nd Stage. — About 4-5 mm.; similar to previous stage with 

 the addition of a tiny black dot in the middle of front of each 

 lobe of head, a black dot in each lateral lobe of cervical shield, 

 and a black dot on tubercle ii of segment 3. 



3rd Stage. — About 8-10 mm.; similar to previous stage, but 

 the black markings are more conspicuous, and there are also two 

 short, faint, oblique lines near middle of head and a little higher 

 up than tlie two round spots in front. 



4th Stage. — About 12-15 mm.; very pale bluish-green; the 

 white fat bodies show plainly thru the transparent skin along 

 each side of the dorsal vessel; head concolorous witli the body, 

 with black markings as in previous stage, l)ut still more con- 

 spicuous (in some caterpillars, in addition to these markings, 

 there are two transverse oval spots, one on each side of head on 

 top) ; cervical shield with a tiny dot bt'liind the black spot in each 

 lateral lobe, two tiny dots near middle in front ; tul)ercle ii of 

 segment 3 very strongly black-marked in front andl)elow; no 

 other tubercles have black markings. 



5th Stage. — About 18-24 mm.; markings similar to previous 

 stage. 



r)tli Stage. — Full-grown caterpillar about 32-35 mm.; light 



