THE SOUTHERN BEET WEBWORM. 21 
DISTRIBUTION. 
This is without doubt a species of tropical origin and inclined to be 
cosmopolitan in any country suited to it elimatologieally. We have 
hi the National Museum collections material from Pernambuco, Bonito 
Province, Brazil, as well as from Georgia, Texas, Florida, and the 
District of Columbia. It is recorded also from the West Inches and 
South Africa. 
HISTORICAL AND BIOLOGICAL NOTES. 
This beet web worm was first described as "PTialsena 2-jmnctalis" 
in 1794. 1 In the year 1880 the larva was observed feeding upon 
cauliflower at Savannah, Ga., where it was stated to be very destruc- 
tive. In consequence it was given the name of "Cauliflower botis." 2 
It was also noticed that it fed on ragweed (Ambrosia), which is 
probably the original food plant, cauliflower being an acquired one, 
and perhaps not a food plant under normal conditions. The following 
year it was again noticed at Savannah, Ga., on pigweed, the larvae 
webbing the leaves together and destroying many plants. Nothing 
further seems to have been recorded of its habits. 
NATURAL ENEMIES. 
Pliorocera erecta Coq., a tachina fly, was reared from this species in 
September, 1906. This parasite has been reared from the related 
Loxostege similalis, at Victoria, Tex. 
AmorpJiota sp. near orgyise, an ichneumonid parasite, was reared 
January 15-29, 1908, from Pachyzancla oipunctatis , obtained from 
Dade City, Fla., in October and December of the preceding year. A 
single female 3 before the writer measures 8 mm. in length and is 
opaque black, with castaneous abdomen and middle and posterior 
legs. The fore legs, and the tibiae and tarsi on the middle pair of 
legs are light yellow, as is also the first joint of the antenna, the 
remainder of the antenna being black. 
Br aeon sp., a small blackish species of this genus, 4 was reared from 
this host at Brownsville, Tex., "November 21, 1908. 
ASSOCIATED INSECTS. 
In addition to the parasitic natural enemies of this species which 
have been mentioned, some interesting species have been reared. 
Prominent among these is a moth of the same family and with some- 
what similar habits, known as the Hawaiian beet webworm 5 (Hy- 
menia [ZincTcenia] fascialis Cram.). It was reared by Mr. H. M. Rus- 
1 Fabricius, Entomologia Systematica, vol. 3, pt. 2, p. 232, 1794. 
2 Botis repetitalis Grote, n. sp., Comstock, J. H— Kept. U. S. Dept. Agr. for 1380, p. 270, 1881. 
3 Chttn. Xo. 303°i. 
4 Chttn. Xo. 1064"i. 
& Bui. 109, Part I, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr., 1911. 
