15 



It is described as rather slender and more or less smooth, the punc- 

 turing at base of abdominal segments and at apex fine and shallow. 

 The wing cases are angulate, the tongue case rather long and thin, 

 the tip touching the body at one-third the length from the head. 

 The larvae pupate 3 or 4 inches deep in the soil within a roughly 

 constructed cell. 



The moth : The moth is described as follows : 1 



General color ash gray; fore wings ash gray at base, without white spots. No white 

 dot at middle of wing, this mark represented by a gray dot encircled with black, 

 which does not contrast with the color of adjacent parts. Fringe of outer margin 

 without white. An evident whitish line begins in an enlargement at the angle, and 

 extends forward, parallel with the edge, toward the apex of the wing, but terminates 

 abruptly before reaching it. Outer angle of fore wing decided. Basal two-thirds 

 of hind wing largely light ash gray, the middle of the wing crossed by two sharply 

 dentate black lines, which represent the more or less fused pair on the wing of P. 

 Carolina. Outer third of hind wing largely ash gray, this area limited within by a 

 wide curved band of black. Head and thorax above ash gray. Abdomen on middle 

 above ash gray, with an evident narrow median black line. Orange spots on side 

 five in number, less elongated transversely and more rounded than in the related 

 species. Legs gray, cross-banded with whitish above. 



The following description of the Hawaiian form is copied from 

 Butler: 2 



P. quinquemaculato sirmllirna; major, alis latioribus, magis grisescentibus; signis 

 alarum anticarum subcostalibus albescentibus; serie macularum albarum antice 

 confluentium arcuata discali, cum fascia ordinaria nigrocincta cohgerente; fasciola 

 posticarum prima obsoleta; fascia sub-marginali nigra apud apicem multo latiore; 

 alar. exp. unc. 5. 



There are no breeding records at hand . 



In the United States the life cycle runs through about 45 days; in 

 Hawaii the time would presumably be somewhat shorter. 



Remedies. — As already stated, tobacco growers have not found the 

 hornworm a serious pest on account of its rarity. When it does 

 appear it may flourish for a time and do considerable damage; in 

 such a case it is best to check it at once by spraying infested plants 

 with lead arsenate (3 pounds to 100 gallons of water), to which the 

 young worms are very susceptible. If the worms have reached large 

 size before the infestation has been noticed, hand-picking should be 

 resorted to, as it is difficult to kill the large worms with a stomach 

 poison. 



Natural enemies. — The natural enemies are not known, but it is 

 probably an egg parasite and not unlikely a trichogrammid. The 

 eggs of the congener S. convolvuli are parasitized by the trichogrammid 

 Pentartliron semifuscatum. 



1 Garman. Kentucky Sta. Bui. 66, p. 25. 



2 Ent. Mo. Mag., 17 (1880), p. 6. 



