THE FLORIDA FERN CATERPILLAR. 
(Eriopus floridensis Guen.) 
RECENT INJURIES. 
During recent years a species of caterpillar, Hriopus floridensis 
Guen., native to Florida and tropical America has made its appear- 
ance in injurious numbers in northern greenhouses, notably in the 
_ District of Columbia, in Hlinois, and in Ohio. It is apparently re- 
stricted to ferns, on which it feeds naturally in its occurrence in the 
open in the warm South, and it has undoubtedly been introduced 
into northern greenhouses in ferns from Florida. It is a compara- 
tively large and conspicuous species of caterpillar and, though not 
closely related to the true cutworms, has the same habit as cutworms 
of cutting or severing portions of the fern plants, apparently de- 
stroying more than it requires for food. The fern growers of the 
District of Columbia have experienced much trouble in the treatment 
of this species. Some have had good results, but others were not 
able to cope with it with the remedies tried, and even found it diffi- 
cult to control by the laborious method of hand picking. Finally, 
however, the insect has yielded to this method, and at the time this 
was written (February, 1913) it was not to be found except in one 
greenhouse out of upward of a dozen inspected. 
DESCRIPTIVE. 
THE MOTH. 
The moth (fig. 1) belongs to a group of noctuids in which the 
forewings bear at the sides, above the middle, a projecting area or 
tooth, forming an outline as shown in the figure. The hind-wings 
are rather broad and well rounded at the sides. The thorax and 
- abdomen are wide, the latter especially so in the female. The color 
of the forewings is pale brown, marked with white scales, forming 
the peculiar and attractive pattern shown in the illustration. The 
hind-legs are dull buff, edged with dusky brown; the lower surface 
is paler, 
The wing expanse is about 14 inch and the length of the body 
- about half an inch. 
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