Vol. Xxi] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 255 



On a New Species of the Saturnidae. 



BY J. HENRY WATSON, Manchester, England. 

 Cricula andrei (Jord.). 



The genus Cricula consists of three species all confined to 

 the Indomalayan district. The species included under Cricula 

 by Sonthonnax in "Etudes de la Lepidopteres producteur de 

 Soie" from Central and South America being now referable 

 to Copaxa. 



The species are C. trifcnestrata (Heifer), well known to 

 me only by the plate; C. drcpanoides (Moore), and the species 

 responsible for this article, C. andrei (Jord.). C. trifcnestrata, 

 which is the best known, is a very common species found in 

 India, Ceylon, Java and as far East as the Philippines. In 

 Assam, according to Mons. A. Wailly, the cocoons are so 

 common and found in such large masses that they rot in the 

 jungles for want of gathering; though this negligence may 

 be explained, I think, more likely by M. Fredrick Moore's 

 note in Trans. Ent. Socy., London, 1862, part 4, page 322, 

 where, speaking of this species, he quotes : "Found in Assam 

 feeding on the soon tree, and in Moulmein upon the cashew- 

 nut tree, Anacardinm orientalc this is the Haumpottonee of 

 the Assamese, noted by M. Hugon as being very common in 

 Assam. He states that the silk can be spun like the Eria,* but 

 the natives do not use it on account of its silk causing a severe 

 itching when weaving. In Java the larva feeds on Protiuin 

 jaranum, Canarium commune and Mangifcra ingas." To 

 which I can add that certainly the larval spines are urticating 

 and they will feed on oak. privet (Ligustrum oralifoliuin] , 

 Rhododendron ponticum. The cocoons are spun in masses ; 

 I have one containing at least 200 cocoons, which was bad in 

 the center, and I fail to see how the moths could eclose from 

 the center of the mass. 



In the ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS for March, page 101, Dr. 

 Stebbins gives us the life history of this species in a very 

 complete manner and which I can corroborate, and makes in 



* Philosamia ricinii. 



