June, ’24] 
VICKERY: STRIPED GRASS LOOPER 
403 
Panicum for oviposition but they also attack other wild or cultivated 
grasses and the larvae may migrate to cultivated plants from fields of 
grass. At Brownsville we observed the larvae feeding on corn, sugar¬ 
cane, and Bermuda grass ( Cynodon dactylon (L) Pers.) in 1910, and on 
five species of grasses— Cenchrus viridis Spreng., Trichloris pluriflora 
Fourn., Eriochloa punctata (L) Hamil., Leptochtoa nealleyi Vasey, and 
Panicum fasciculatum Sw.,—in 1916. 
The larvae of Mocis repanda have been recorded as destroying Para- 
grass {Panicum muticum Forsk.), Guinea-grass {Panicum maximum 
Jacq.), and sugar-cane, in (5) Trinidad; sugar-cane, rice, Para-grass 
and other grasses in (9) British Guiana; Para-grass and Guinea-grass in 
(2) Barbadoes; Guinea-grass, alfalfa, sugar-cane, and millet in fHb 
Brazil; and sugar-cane in (6, 7, 8) Porto Rico. 
Life History 
No very extensive work has been done on the life history of this 
species. As it is a native of the tropics and adapted to feed on grasses, 
which may be found in a green state throughout the year in tropical 
countries and along the gulf coast of the LTnited States, it does not 
hibernate and probably could not pass the winter north of the gulf 
coast section of this country. It resembles Laphygma frugiperda S & A, 
in this respect, and like Laphygma it also passes through many genera¬ 
tions during the year. 
During the fall of 1916 we carried on a few experiments in the labora¬ 
tory at Brownsville to learn something of its life history. The entire 
life cycle from the time the eggs were laid to the time the adults ap¬ 
peared occupied 36 days during October and November at an average 
daily mean temperature of 76 degrees F. 
The Egg Stage 
Moths were placed in a large lantern globe and fed on a thin sugar 
syrup. Strips of paper and leaves of corn were placed in this cage, and 
the moths laid a few eggs on the corn leaves but they laid a larger num¬ 
ber on the walls of the lantern globe and on the paper. The eggs were 
laid singly. Mr. T. S. Wilson worked out the egg stage during the month 
of November as given in Table I. 
The Larva Stage 
« 
Eggs of Mocis repanda hatched October 9, 1916 and the larvae were 
reared in tin boxes. It was possible to rear many larvae in a single cage 
as they are not cannibalistic but it Was more convenient to isolate the 
