42 



THE ZEBHA CATERPILiLiAR. 



{Mamestra 2ncta Harr. ) 



The zebra caterpillar is a conspicuous garden pest, particularly 

 attached to vegetables, showing some preference for beets and spinach, 



Fig. 39. — Mamestra pida: a, female moth; b, abdominal segments of male moth; c.pale form of larva, 

 lateral view; d, larva, dorsal view; c, pupa — all somewhat enlarged (original. Division of Ento- 

 mology). 



cabbage, celerj^ peas, and asparagus, and feeding at times on nearly 

 all forms of vegetation, including cereals, weeds, and the foliage of 



trees. As previously mentioned, it bears the 

 distinction of being the first insect reported 

 to affect beets in this countr3^ The moth 

 (fig. 39, a) resembles in general contour the 

 progenitors of cutworms belonging to the 

 same group of insects. It has a wing expanse 

 of about an inch and a half; the fore-wings 

 and thorax arc brown, shaded with darker 

 purplish brown, and the hind- wings are white, 

 tipped with pale brown at the margins. The 

 larva or caterpillar (fig. 39, c, d) is somewhat 

 variable, but the head is red and the ground 

 color 3^ellow, more or less strongly marked 

 with black, the stripes on the sides suggest- 

 ing the name of zebra caterpillar. The larva 

 when first hatched from the Qgg is dull gray 

 and looks quite unlike the mature form. 

 Two views of the newly hatched larva are 

 presented in figure 40, a, h, while the third stage is shown at c. 



This species is quite abundant in the North, becoming most trouble- 



a b c 



Fig. 40. — Mamcftra plda: a, b, 

 newly hatched larva; c, larva 

 of third .stage — much enlarged 

 (original, Division of Entomol- 

 ogy). 



