THE RED-BANDED THRIPS. 25 
HABITS OF THE PREPUPA AND PTJPA. 
The prepupae remain clustered so closely that they almost touch 
each other and are almost motionless. However, if alarmed or 
disturbed they move rapidly away. At all times they carry the 
antennae, which are freely motile, out in front of the head. The pre- 
pupae change to the pupae in among the colony of prepupae and 
larvae on the leaf. When the prepupa is ready to molt, the skin is 
ruptured over the head and gradually worked off at the posterior end 
by contractions of the body, and the cast skin is left behind on the 
leaf. 
The pupae, while they possess the power of motion, are more slug- 
gish, and will not move around unless disturbed or exposed to a strong 
light. They carry the antennae folded back over the head onto the 
prothorax. In recently formed pupae the reticulations on the body 
are absent, as also are the ocelli; but as the pupae develop, the ocelli 
gradually appear between the eyes and the reticulations gradually 
become evident, until they are extremely heavy and distinct. As 
the pupae become nearly mature, the body begins to turn darker, 
until just before emergence of the adults the pupae are almost black. 
The adults emerge from the pupae in the same manner that the 
younger stages molt; the}^ then move away for a short distance and 
remain more or less motionless until the chit in hardens. Within a 
day the full colors have developed and the adults begin feeding. 
FOOD PLANTS. 
In Florida this insect has been found feeding on the avocado 
(Persea gratissima) and mango (Mangifera indica), causing serious 
injury to these plants. 
Maxwell-Lefroy recorded it on cashew, guava (Psidium guajava), 
cacao (Theooroma cacao), and Liberian coffee (Coffea liberica), and 
Ballou recorded it on the wild guava (Anacardium occidentals) and 
cotton. Urich recorded it as feeding on the cashew, cacao, guava, 
roses, the Mexican almond or umbrella tree (Terminalia catappa), and 
mango. Franklin also recorded its occurrence on the cacao and kola 
(Sterculia acuminata) . 
LIFE CYCLE. 
The writer has worked out the complete life cycle of this insect in 
the greenhouse at Washington, but for lack of time failed to follow it 
through successfully while in the field at Miami. In the greenhouse 
the egg required from 15 to 16 days for incubation, with an average 
mean temperature of 77° to 78°. (See Table I.) 
