J84 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X\\ 



(2) In the case of Hyblcea puera the moth is very variable and 

 the colouring and markings often resemble those of Hyblcea constellata. 

 The latter moth has recently been reported as attacking teak in Burma, 

 in company with Hyblcea puera, and it is therefore possible that these 

 insects may be confused. In recording observations, with the object 

 of completing their several life-histories, it is clearly most important 

 to make sure of the identification in each case, and it should be remem- 

 bered that Hyblcea. constellata is separated from HyUcea puera by two 

 main characters which appear to be constant and are as follows : — 



(«) H constellata has the outer margin of the forewing excised 

 below the apes and excurved at the centre, whereas in H puera the 

 margin is evenly curved and not excised. 



(b) H. constellata has in the anal angle, en the underside of the 

 hindwing, a single black spot, whereas there are two such spots in 

 H. puera. 



(3) Mr. Stebbing* has recently separated a variety of H. puera 

 which he has provisionally named H. nigra, the principal character 

 relied on to distinguish the variety being the dark colour of the dorsal 

 surface of the larva and the absence of any flesh-coloured dorsal line. 

 In the larval description given above I have shown that there exists a 

 complete series of intermediate forms, uniting the dark-coloured larva 

 with no flesh-coloured stripe with the larva in which this stripe covers the 

 whole of the dorsal surface between the dorsal white lines. With such a 

 variable insect I cannot but think that it will ultimately prove impos- 

 sible to regard H. nigra as a well-marked Oi important variety, and that, 

 therefore, it is inadvisable to attempt to classify it separately, at all events 

 in the present state of our knowledge. So far as is known at present 

 also, the life-history, and relation of the variety to the forest, differ in 

 no particular from those of the type. 



LIFE HISTORY. 

 I. Larval Food-plant. 

 A. Pyrausta machceralis — ■ 



18. Personally, I have never found the larv?e feeding on any plant 

 other than the teak tree. It is remarkable, however, that, in the case 

 of the individuals bred by me, the moths appeared, at the end of the 

 hibernating stage in the month of April, although in the dry forests to 



• Departmental Notes on Insects that affect Forestry, by E, P. Stebbing, P.L.S., F.E.S., 

 No. 2 Calcutta, 1903, pp. 294—297. 



