1892.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 5 



PREPARATORY STAGES OF ICHTHYURA BIFIRIA Hy. Edw. 

 By Harrison G. Dyar, New York. 



Egg. — Hemispherical or slightly conoidal, the base flat, but 

 rounded at its edges; smooth under a lens, but under the micro- 

 scope, covered with numerous, crowded, shallow depressions, 

 which form by their edges narrow, roundedly, hexagonal reticu- 

 lations. The color is dark gray before the ^g% hatches. Diam- 

 eter 7 mm. 



First stage. — Head shining black, labrum pale; width 35 mm. 

 Body slightly flattened, whitish, cervical shield black; a few pale 

 hairs; joints 5 and 12 are slightly enlarged dorsally; the lateral 

 region, and joints 5, 7 and 12 dorsally are wine-red. Thoracic 

 feet large, pale; the abdominal normal, all used in walking. 

 Length 2.5 mm. The larva hatches by eating a round hole in 

 the vertex of the o^g'g, leaving the rest of the shell untouched. 

 It lives, singly, in a shelter constructed by spinning two or more 

 leaves together. 



Second stage. — Head black and shining, the central suture 

 deep; width 6.5 mm. Body flattened, pale whitish yellow, with 

 narrow triplicate dorsal, and very broad lateral bands of dull 

 wine color, as are also the humps on joints 5 and 12. Cervical 

 shield and anal plate black; venter dull greenish; legs black. 



Third stage. — Head flat in front, slightly bilobed, brownish 

 black, but paler centrally around the clypeus; a few dark hairs; 

 width 1.4 mm. Body pale yellow, joints 5 and I2 a trifle dorsal 

 line, broad lateral and confused triple subventral lines, all dark 

 brown. Cervical shield and anal plate blackish; scattered pale 

 hairs arise from smooth, low, round tubercles, concolorous with 

 the markings. 



Fourth stage. — Head pale brown, shaded with black in front; 

 jaws and ocelli black; a white shade on each side of the clypeus; 

 width 2.6 mm. Body as before, but the lateral band is faintly 

 divided by a double yellowish line, and joint 13 is nearly all 

 yellowish. The round, smooth, piliferous tubercles are distinctly 

 yellow in the yellow markings. Cervical shield small, bisected, 

 pale brown; anal plate not distinguishable. Hair whitish, both 

 from body and head. As the stage advances the colors become 

 quite pale, and the appearance is much changed; humps on 

 joints 5 and 12 very slight, dark purple. Ground color whitish 



