568 WILLIAM T. M. FORBES 



Late July to August. Larva a root borer in Vernonia, usually pupating in stubs 

 of plants of the previous year in June. 



Long Island, New York, to Illinois and south. New York: Florida, New Windsor, 

 Long Island. 



P. oxydalis Guenee, which is similar to P. flavidalis, but with heavy, suffused, 

 red-brown marginal markings, is probably confined to the Southern States. 



7. P. submedialis Grote. Cream color; markings normal, pale grayish, faint; 

 orbicular a small circle, reniform when most distinct, with pale center; no traces 

 of subterminal line. Hind wing whitish with distinct broken postmedial. Under 

 side with a broad gray subterminal band on fore wing; discal dot of hind wing 

 obscure. 25 mm. ( dissectalis Grote, pilalis Hulst. ) 



Canada; Illinois; Florida; Texas; Arizona. 



8. P. penitalis Grote. Pale yellow, with contrasting and not very diffuse rusty 

 ochre, rarely grayish, markings and dusting; antemedial line erect, sharply dentate, 

 not running out to inner margin; reniform a slight vertical bar, followed by more 

 or less obvious rusty or grayish streaks or shades; postmedial line fine, moderately 

 dentate, sometimes obscure in female, drawn in below cell as usual, produced out 

 roundly in submedian space, but running in again to inner margin. Subterminal 

 a broad but distinct dentate shade, or, more rarely, a deeply dentate line; hind 

 wing not dark at base; with slight discal bar and even postmedial and terminal 

 shades, the latter slightly paler on the margin, or with the postmedial shade 

 indicated only as the outer boundary of a darker discal area; in the female often 

 with only traces of the middle part of the postmedial line, which is near the 

 end of the cell, unlike the similar, nearly immaculate yellow specimens of 

 P. inconcinnalis and futilalis. Male with a patch of sex-scaling on inner margin 

 of fore wing below. Juxta with a single, stout, ventrally projecting spur. 25 mm. 

 (nelumbialis Smith.) 



The larva is aquatic, on water lily and Nelumbo; rarely in other aquatic plants. 

 Pupa without a frontal hump; with cremaster broader than long. 



Apparently general in distribution, but obscure and usually misidentified. New 

 York : Lynbrook, Long Island. 



9. P. ainslei Heinrich. Similar to P. penitaUs; fore wing without reddish shading 

 and powdering, no sex-patch on inner margin, on under side. Juxta with two slender 

 dorsally projecting arms embracing the sedceagus; apex of uncus rounded. 20-27 

 mm. (obumbratalis Lederer ?) 



Larva boring in marsh plants, normally only in Polygonum, but frequently stray- 

 ing to other foods. Pupa with a prominent projecting frontal knob. 

 Generally distributed; widespread in New York, but local. 



10. P. nubilalis Hiibner (European corn borer). Pattern exactly as in P. pern- 

 talis; ground brighter straw yellow; male heavily overlaid with brown, leaving 

 yellow areas in the antemedial region, between the ordinary spots, and beyond the 

 postmedial line. Under side of fore wing with a sex-patch, as in P. penitalis. Juxta 

 with two dorsal arms, embracing the aedoeagus. Uncus trifurcate. Female not 

 certainly distinguishable from the two preceding species without dissection; nor- 

 mally slightly brighter in coloring. 30 mm. 



Larva a serious pest in corn and other coarse herbaceous plants; easily distin- 

 guishable from the other corn-pests by the tubercle pattern of the genus, with 

 ii much smaller and farther lateral than i; distinguishable from the two preceding 

 species only with the microscope. Massachusetts strain with two broods, and 

 showing a strong tendency to eat a great variety of plants; western strain single- 

 brooded in normal seasons, and practically confined, so far as now known, to corn. 

 Hibernation in the well -grown larva, in the stubble. Pupa without a frontal hump; 

 with cremaster longer than broad. Probably the most serious known corn pest. 



Eurasia; recently introduced in eastern Massachusetts; and in the vicinity of 

 Albany, New York, and the Lake Erie basin. 



