I'l^^ Canaiit)! mntuMdla^bt 



VOL. XXII. LONDON, DECEMBER, 1890. No. 12. 



THE HABITS OF THE POMEGRANATE BUTTERFLY (VIR- 



ACHOLA ISOCRATES) OF INDLA, AS RECOUxNTED BY 



DE NICEVILLE, (BUTT. INDIA, III., 478-481). 



Larva .8 of an inch in length when full grown ; ground-colour 

 blackish-brown, the constrictions between the segments well marked, the 

 head comparatively large, fuscous, covered with rugosities or short semi- 

 circular tubercles, the segments rapidly increasing in size to the fourth, 

 then gradually tapering to the thirteenth, which latter is about as wide as 

 the second segment ; second segment anteriorly flesh-coloured, the third 

 segment entirely flesh-coloured, the seventh and eighth bearing a large 

 dorsal square flesh-coloured patch, the three anal segments scutate, all 

 the segments widely pitted and covered with short but coarse black 

 bristles, which are more numerous at the sides and whitish. This larva is 

 very ugly, to be accounted for, perhaps, by its passing its life out of sight 

 in the interior of a fruit. In Calcutta I have reared the larva on the fruit 

 of the Randia dumetorum Lamk., which belongs to the Madder family 

 (Rubiacece). I once found a larva in the fruit of the Loquat (Eriobotrya 

 japojiica Lindl.), of which it ate the hard central seed or stone only. It 

 emerged on April 4th. Messrs. F. E. Partiger and E. C. Cotes have bred 

 it from the fruit of the Guava ( Psidiwn guava Raddi.). Its usual food 

 appears, however, to be the fruit of the pomegranate (Punka granatum 

 Linngeus). 



Pupa of the usual lycaenid shape, brown, marked with a dorsal and 

 lateral black line, the whole surface very rough, covered with tiny pits, 

 furnished with a few short coarse bristles, which are most numerous 

 round the sharp anterior ridge which encloses the head ; the wing-cases 

 pale ochreous ; head rounded j anal segment blunt. 



" This butterfly [ Virachola isocrates\ resides in the larva state in the 

 interior of the pomegranate, seven or eight at least [This is very unusual. 

 I have never found more than one larva or pupa in a single fruit ; two or 



