A New Disease of the Variegated Cutworm, Peridroma margaritosa (Haw.)

Abstract

Healthy variegated cutworms may be infected by direct inoculation into the body cavity, and through the mouth by contaminated food. The infected insects eat less food and are smaller. The fat tissue contains opaque white areas consisting of hy-pertrophied fat cells with large numbers of granules. The nuclei of the fat cells are highly enlarged, densely staining masses or they appear as disintegrated particles of chromatin material. The exact nature of the granular inclusions of the fat cells has not been detd.