4 
Psyche 
[March- June 
METAMORPHOSES OF COMMON CUBAN PYRGINiE 
By V. G. Dethier 
John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio 
The four most common skippers of the subfamily Pyr- 
ginse found in Cuba are Goniurus proteus L., G. dorantes 
Stoll., Polygonus lividus Hbn., and Pyrgus syrichtus Fabr. 
The life history of G. yroteus has been described repeatedly, 
and the immature stages of Cuban specimens are similar to 
those of North American specimens. In Cuba the larvae 
feed on Clitorea, cultivated beans, and all native closely 
related Leguminosae. G. dorantes feeds on the same plants. 
P. lividus , which in Florida feeds on Piscidia piscipula, is 
found on species of Lonchocarpus in Cuba. The larvae 
found here differed slightly from those studied by Dyar 
(1897) . For a description of the first instar of P. syrichtus 
the reader is referred to an earlier paper (Dethier, 1940). 
Goniurus dorantes Stoll. 
Egg. Turtle green. Greatest diameter 1.0 mm. Height 
.8 mm. Apex patterned with large prominent raised reticu- 
lations. These gradually merge into many longitudinal ribs 
extending to the flattened base. 
First Instar. Head height .5 mm. ; head width .6 mm. 
Head shiny piceous to black, covered with few small, scat- 
tered, colorless, tapering hairs. Body length 2 to 3 mm. 
Javel green to bright chalcedony yellow. Few scattered 
lighter colored spots on body. Few short tapering hairs 
arising from black tubercles arranged in paradorsal, supra- 
stigmatal, and substigmatal rows. Prothoracic legs fuscous. 
Shield concolorous with head. Substigmatal area of shield 
bright orange. 
Second Instar. Head height .8 mm. ; head width .81 mm. 
Head shagreened, almost black. Hairs shorter and more 
numerous. With slight tawny tinge. Body length 3.5 mm. 
