LIFE HISTORIES OF PHILIPPINE CASSIDID^. 267 



Meteiona teh'ittata Fabr. (PI. VI, fig. 4). 



Metriona trivittata Fabr., 8yst. Eleuth. (1801), 1, 397. 



Egg: The egg-case of M. trivittata Fabr. (PI. V, fig. 4) is somewhat 

 similar to that of P. sinvxita Oliv., but more perfect in its structure. It 

 is laid on the upper or under side of the leaf and always contains a single 

 egg. The egg itself is inclosed within a very thin primary case and 

 the latter is placed under a remarkably perfect, roof-like cover fastened 

 to the leaf. This cover is thin and has two nearly parallel, longitudinal 

 caringe, which are somewhat excurved at one end, but run together at the 

 other end where they are bent and erect. The area between the carina 

 has a semicircular impression, but the area outside of this is sloping. 

 (PL V, fig. 5, diagram of cross-section.) Numerous regular, fine striae 

 are visible. The egg of this species is always free from any excremental 

 covering." The color of the egg-case is a very pale green. 



Larva: Shortly after hatching and before feeding, the young larva 

 expresses a kind of glutinous substance which it pastes with its long 

 evaginating anus upon each one of the long, subanal spines in the shape 

 of a tiny drop. Later it places the particles of its excreta upon these 

 spots of glue, so that about twelve hours after hatching, a vmion is 

 efl^ected between the particles on the two subanal spines. The larva 

 (PL V, fig. 6) disposes of its excrement in this 'manner only during the 

 period from hatching to the first molt, that is, in building up a cross-bar 

 between the two subanal spines. 



The larva of M. trivittata Fabr. (PL V, fig. 7) is very flat and of 

 a uniform green color, only the spines are somewhat lighter, the stigmata 

 being white. The color of the larva corresponds exactly with that of 

 the leaves of its food plant {Ipomoea triloba L.). The larva has thirty- 

 two marginal and two subanal spines; the former, with the excep- 

 tion of the inner slightly curved ones on the first pairs, are straight, 

 the shortest being situated on the third, fourth, fifth and sixth, the 

 longest on the seventh abdominal segment. All of these spines are beset 

 laterally with minute spinules. The forked subanal spines of this larva 

 are very long, in fact even in the full-grown ones at least half as long 

 as the whole body and two of the exuviae are transfixed by the above- 

 mentioned spines. In this species the exuvise are fastened to each other 

 in a manner similar to that in A. miliaris Pabr. The larvae of M. 

 trivittata Fabr. are found mostly on the upper sides of the leaves and 

 carry their exuvige behind them, lying flat to the leaf, but when disturbed 

 they bend the mass up over the dorsum as a protecting shield for the 

 body. All larval skins remain on the pupa. 



