PINK BOLLWORM OF COTTON IN MEXICO. 7 
Longevity. 
Males and females are produced in about equal proportions and 
their length of life is about equal. Under favorable laboratory 
conditions one moth was kept alive for 26 days, but the average 
length of life of the adult was 14.7 days. There are no indications 
that moths ever live for long periods of time or pass the winter in 
this stage. 
Whether moths under natural conditions ever take nourishment 
other than water was never observed, but just as many eggs were 
deposited in the breeding jars where pure water was used as where 
sweetened water was substituted. Water is a very essential factor 
in the longevity of the adult. The average length of life of the 
moths where no water could be obtained was 7.6 days, compared to 
14.7 days when water was supplied daily. 
Preovlposition Period. 
Eggs were deposited in captivity from 1 to 6 days after issuance 
of the moth, with an average of 3.8 days preoviposition period. It 
is not known how long a period elapses before oviposi- ^ - x 
tion begins in nature, but from analogy with other species .-•;:>. \ 
it is possible that the bulk of the eggs are laid the first • \ 
night under normal field conditions. The moths were F. - : ; 
never observed in the act of depositing eggs, either in the \ 
fields or in the breeding cages, but from the night-flying V ; 
habits of the moth it is evident that oviposition takes place V^ 
at dusk or at night. fig. 2.— Egg 
jzqq of Pectino- 
phora gossy- 
Description. pielia. High- 
The egg is small, elongate oval, somewhat broader at ^ ma s m e 
one end; length from 0.4 to 0.6 mm., breadth 0.2 to 0.3 mm.; shell 
iridescent , pearly white with greenish tint when first deposited, turning 
to almost red before hatching ; surface finely reticulated with regular 
longitudinal lines or ridges with irregular cross-connections, resem- 
bling the reticulations on the hull of a peanut. (Fig. 2.) The larva 
can be easily seen inside the shell just prior to hatching. 
Position on Plant. 
The eggs are deposited on all parts of the plant, including the 
bolls and bracts, leaf buds, leaves, stems, and squares. The prefer- 
ence is for some more or less hidden location, such as the base of the 
boll, between the bracts and bolls, the folds of the small leaf buds, 
the creases formed by the veins and midribs of the leaves, and the 
axils of the leaves. 
Some heavily infested plants were examined at Lerdo during 
August and September, 1919, to determine the proportion of eggs 
