222 THE PEANUT— THE UNPREDICTABLE LEGUME 



to earworm infestations in peanuts. Merkl (lOO) lists peanuts as one of 

 the principal crops in Alabama being damaged by this insect but based his 

 conclusion on unpublished records of the Alabama Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. So far as the writer is aware, serious damage has not 

 been reported in the Virginia-Carolina area. 



Description of Stages. The various stages of the corn earworm have 

 been described by several investigators. Descriptions given below are 

 taken from the sources indicated. 



The egg has been described by Phillips and Barber (113), Quaintance 

 and Brues (124), and others. The description of Quaintance and Brues^ 

 follows : 



Egg 



Width, 0.48 mm. ; height, 0.50 mm. Shining, waxy white, faintly tinged with 

 yellowish. The form is almost dome-shaped, except that it is slightly narrower at 

 the extreme "bottom and widest about the basal third. Base flat and apex obtusely 

 rounded. 



The larval and pupal descriptions of Ditman and Cory (45) follow: 



Larva 



First Instar. Length (soon after hatching), 1.5 mm. Head and thoracic legs, shiny 

 black. Body newly hatched larva very pale and rather transparent ; after some feed- 

 ing, opaque and creamy yellow. There is a very slight tendency to darker and lighter 

 longitudinal stripes, at least in larvae nearly ready to molt the first time. Setae of 

 body of rather medium length, black ; on head, some are black and others of a lighter 

 color. Cervical shield and minute setigeral warts dull brownish black; also the 

 prolegs externally, and the anal plate. Around each setigeral wart is a poorly de- 

 fined circular space of whitish beyond which the generally yellow color of the body 

 appears. The characteristic minute dermal spinules of the older larva are scattered 

 and very indistinct in this instar. 



Second Instar. Length, 3.4 mm. Appearance much the same as in first instar. 

 Differs in that the setigeral warts are much broader and show up clearly to the 

 naked eye. The dermal spinulation is more pronounced and general. The longitudinal 

 stripes are but little more evident, if any, than in the previous stage. In the first 

 two or three instars the larvae have a semi-looping gait as do the younger larvae of 

 some of the cutworms. 



Third Instar. Length, 7.0 mm. Head, olive brown with darker brown mottlings, 

 especially on each side near vertex ; bears a few fine setae. Cervical shield black or 

 slightly brownish, with two short white lateral stripes. Body entirely covered with 

 minute blackish spinules, appearing like a "sand-paper" surface as compared with the 

 skin of most of the related caterpillars. Four narrow white dorsal stripes and a broad 

 white band laterally, alternated' with olive brown. Setigeral warts prominent, shiny 

 black, and obtusely cone shaped rather than nearly flat as in previous instars. Setae 

 moderately long and shiny black. Dorsal abdominal warts are larger, especially on 

 first and second segments. Thoracic legs black; prolegs black on their sides both 

 experiorly and on the mesal surface. Crochets black. 



