UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 609 



Contribution from Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



November 22, 1917 



THE SWEET-POTATO LEAF-FOLDER. 



By Thos. H. Jones, 1 Entomological Assistant, Truck-Crop Insect Investigations. 



[With a complementary report regarding spraying experiments for its control, conducted in 

 southern Texas by M. M. High.] 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

 Introduction — 1 



History, distribution, and synonymy.— .... , 2 



Description of stages. 3 



Food plants J: 5 



Seasonal history and habits ".: .'. .. ;," 5 



Natural enemies 9 



The sweet-potato leaf -folder in southern Texas 9 



Summary 11 



Literature cited 12 



INTRODUCTION. 



The larva of Pilocrocis tripunctata Fab. (fig. 1 c, d), a .member of 

 the lepidopterous family Pyralidse, was noted first as an enemy of 

 sw T eet potatoes in Louisiana by the writer while cooperating with the 

 Louisiana Experiment Stations in the fall .of 1914. Since that time 

 the species has been kept under observation at Baton Kouge, La., 

 and has been noted also in Plaquemines and Tangipahoa Parishes. 



The species, which may be called the " sweet-potato leaf folder " 

 because of the habits of the larva, has not been observed as yet in 

 destructive numbers in Louisiana ; but it has been reported by Mr. 

 M. M. High, of the Bureau of Entomology, as very injurious to the 

 sweet potato near Brownsville, Tex., where he conducted control ex- 

 periments with poisons during the fall of 1916. As it is possible that 

 this pest may become an important enemy of sweet potatoes in the 

 Southern States, it seems advisable to publish the results concern- 

 ing its biology and the results of Mr. High's control experiments. 2 



1 The author wishes to acknowledge the issistance of C. E. Smith and J. L. E. 

 Lauderdale in the studies on the history and habits. 



2 Besides the complementary report by Mr. High, this bulletin includes notes made 

 by him regarding the life history, habits, and enemies of the species in southern Texas. 

 Especially because development under conditions existing in southern Texas may differ 

 from that under conditions at Baton Rouge, statements taken from Mt. High's notes 

 are credited to him. All other observations were made at Baton Rogue. 



13111°— 17— Bull. 609 



