( 162) 



ON A NEW PARASITIC TINEID MOTH EROM QUEENS- 

 LAND, DISCOVERED BY P. F. DODD. 



By the HON. WALTEIt ROTHSCHILD, Pii.D. 



QIINCE Westwood* pnblisLcJ au account of a Chiuese moth of which the laivu 

 K--^ is parasitic oa Fahjoridae, several lustauces of such parasitism have been 

 recorded from ( 'entral America, New Mexico, India, and Jajian. So far no snch 

 jiarasitic larvae have been ibnnd in Al'rica, but it is highly iirobable that they occur 

 all through the tropical and subtropical countries. Some years ago Mr. P. F. Dodd, 

 wlio has added so much to our knowledge of the early stages of Qneenslandian 

 Le]]ido]itera, discovered also a jiarasitc of this kind in tjueeusland. He has sent 

 us an interesting account of this discovery, which we a])])end here in full. Tlie 

 insect is closely allied to that figured by Westwood, but ({uite distinct. Dyarf 

 places these moths among the Tiueids, and we perfectly agree with what he says. 



Epipyrops doddi spec. nov. 



(??. Legs and shaft of antenna luteous. Wings olive above, the scales of 

 the forcwing partly silver grey, especially on disc ; no distinct markings ; underside 

 drab-ljrown. 



Ncuratiou : nine veins from cell of forewing, 4* of Westwood's figure being 

 absent and i^ very weak near cell ; cell of hindwing mnch narrower than in 

 Westwood's figure, without inner spur {x of Westwood's figure), only five veins 

 from cell, b- of Westwood's figure being absent, upper cross-vein straight, obliijue. 



Length of forewing : 4 to mm. 



The mandible of the larva is bifid, as in Westwood's figure ; but the second 

 lobe is more hook-shaped than in that figure, being w-idest in centre. The abdominal 

 legs have a complete ring of hooks, the anterior hooks of each ring being much 

 smaller than the posterior ones ; the anal leg has a posteriorly ojien half-ring of 

 large hooks, instead of a complete ring. 



Mr. Dodd found this insect on several species of Falyoridac, since identified by 

 Mr. AV. L. Distant as Dictijophora prac.f errata Dist., Olonia s])ec., and a species of 

 the subfamily Flatinae. 



Mr. Dodd's observations on the parasite arc as follows : — 



"Upon June 15th, 1903, I received my copy of the EutomologUt for May, and 

 was very jdeased to read Mr. Kirkaldy's instructive 'Current Notes' therein. Those 

 in connection with parasite moths were of absorbing interest to me, for 1 have 

 been observing a carnivorous caterpillar here, breeding out the moth for some 

 time, and hoped I had a great surprise in store for entomologists. I have had 

 my account of its history, so far as 1 knew it in June, almost ready for some weeks, 

 but had delayed its completion and desjiatch until I could obtain the necessary 

 larvae upon pupae of the Ftdyoridae, so as to give fuller particulars concerning 

 the development of the white coating, for I had not been satisfied with my 

 observations upon those on the winged insects, owing to the great difficulty in 

 obtaining even a temporary view of a larva before its larger growth. Whilst it 

 is small it is not easily examined, as it is i)artly hidden, and the hosts object to 



» Traim. Eiit. Soc. Land., p. 519. t. 7 (187G>. f Proo. EiU. Sw. Washiwjt. v. p. 13 (1902). 



