﻿350 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  cal 
  spots 
  with 
  yellow 
  centers 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  curved 
  or 
  oblique 
  line, 
  from 
  

   the 
  apex 
  to 
  its 
  outer 
  third, 
  of 
  the 
  fore 
  wings; 
  an 
  anal 
  patch 
  and 
  a 
  discal 
  

   spot 
  with 
  an 
  oblique 
  line 
  touching 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  hind 
  wings. 
  The 
  yellow 
  

   background 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  spotted 
  with 
  dark 
  brown,- 
  specially 
  on 
  the 
  

   primaries. 
  The 
  males 
  are 
  readily 
  indicated 
  by 
  their 
  more 
  feathery 
  

   antennae 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  larger 
  areas 
  of 
  purplish 
  brown, 
  specially 
  on 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   wings, 
  where 
  the 
  basal 
  patch 
  extends 
  to 
  the 
  discal 
  spot, 
  and 
  frequently 
  to 
  

   the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  oblique 
  line 
  touches 
  the 
  posterior 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  wing. 
  

   The 
  larger 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  lying 
  between 
  this 
  oblique 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  

   outer 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  wing 
  is 
  purple 
  brown, 
  there 
  being 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  yellow 
  

   area 
  within 
  the 
  posterior 
  angle. 
  The 
  purple 
  brown 
  usually 
  extends 
  to 
  

   the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen. 
  

  

  Two 
  varieties 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  : 
  didyma 
  by 
  Beauvois 
  

   and 
  nobilis 
  by 
  Neumoegen; 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  also 
  described 
  an 
  aberrant 
  

   form 
  under 
  the 
  name, 
  ptinctatissi7na 
  (see 
  citation). 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  The 
  recorded 
  distribution 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  

   ranges 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  into 
  Canada. 
  

   Although 
  nowhere 
  very 
  common, 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  

   latitude 
  of 
  southern 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  in 
  Pennsylvania, 
  In 
  both 
  Mass- 
  

   achusetts 
  and 
  Canada 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  rare. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   from 
  the 
  following 
  states: 
  Massachusetts, 
  Rhode 
  Island, 
  New 
  York, 
  

   New 
  Jersey, 
  Pennsylvania, 
  Kentucky, 
  Illinois, 
  Iowa, 
  Texas; 
  and 
  from 
  

   Belleville, 
  Ontario. 
  As 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  on 
  cotton 
  without 
  giving 
  the 
  

   locality, 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  

   states. 
  Morris 
  gives 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  as 
  its 
  habitat. 
  

  

  Food-habits 
  of 
  the 
  larva. 
  This 
  species 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  

   food-plants. 
  Mr 
  Beutenmiiller 
  (see 
  citation) 
  has 
  pubhshed 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  them, 
  

   comprising 
  49 
  species 
  distributed 
  through 
  12 
  orders. 
  In 
  addition, 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  found 
  on 
  three 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  plants 
  belonging 
  to 
  as 
  many 
  orders 
  

   not 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  referred 
  to 
  above, 
  thus 
  giving 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  52 
  

   species 
  representing 
  15 
  natural 
  orders. 
  Though 
  found 
  on 
  so 
  many 
  

   plants, 
  the 
  white 
  pine 
  [Finns 
  strobus) 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  its 
  favorite 
  in 
  the 
  

   north 
  and 
  species 
  of 
  oak 
  in 
  the 
  south. 
  Mr 
  Gentry 
  records 
  (see 
  citation) 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Germantown, 
  Pa., 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  appear 
  

   to 
  have 
  deserted 
  the 
  pine 
  for 
  the 
  red 
  maple 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years. 
  They 
  

   also 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  liking 
  for 
  animal 
  food, 
  Mr 
  Wailly 
  (see 
  citation) 
  

   records 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  cannibalism 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  abundant 
  food, 
  and 
  

   also 
  of 
  this 
  caterpillar 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  full 
  grown 
  larvae 
  of 
  Telea 
  

   polyphe?nus. 
  

  

  