592 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVI. 



Four specimens, Peradeniya, Ceylon, in December (Green). Larva 

 destructive to dried plants in herbarium (Green). The larval habit is 

 singular, but in this specialised form must be quite recent ; it will doubtless be 

 found to feed naturally under other circumstances. 



Gelechia gossypiella. Saund. 



Surat, Bombay (Maxwell-Lefroy). This species, described by Saunders as a 

 Depressaria, is a true Gelechia, nearly allied to the European G. malvella, which 

 feeds on an allied plant in the same way. It is stated to be very destructive 

 to cotton. 



Gnorimoschema heliopa. Low. 



Peradeniya, Ceylon (Green) ; Cambay, Bombay (Maxwell-Lefroy). This 

 species is Australian, and belongs to a group of nearly allied species native 

 to that region, but its food plant has not been noticed there ; it might prove 

 to be an indigenous Solatium. In India and Ceylon it is a serious pest of the 

 tobacco plant (Nicotiana) ; " the larva bores into the stem, and ultimately 

 causes death ; its presence may be known by a swelling of the green stem ; 

 it usually affects quite small plants in nurseries, but sometimes older plants ; 

 the point of infection is often on underside of midrib of leaf " (Green). It 

 does not appear to be known in America, the home of the tobacco plant ; I 

 showed specimens to Mr. Busck, the principal authority on North American 

 Tineina, and he was unacquainted with it ; but a similar (probably the same) 

 insect is reported to be destructive in Java. The moth is a small mottled 

 yellow-brown species, resembling an ordinary Gelechia of the obsoletella group. 



Tipha. Walk. 



Antenna? over 1, in $ simple, basal joint sometimes with short apical pro- 

 minence, Labial palpi in £ variably modified, second joint often much 

 enlarged with projecting scales, terminal joint often more or less aborted ; 

 in 9 long, recurved, second joint with oppressed scales, slightly rough beneath 

 towards apex, terminal joint as long as second, slender, acute. Posterior tibiae 

 and tarsi sometimes clothed with projecting scales above. Forewings with 

 3 absent, 2 and 4 approximated or stalked or coincident, 7 and 8 stalked or 

 coincident, 7 to costa or apex on termen, 9 sometimes out of 7. Hind wings 1, 

 elongate-trapezoidal, in $ apex obtuse, termen sinuate or rounded, in $ apex 

 round-pointed, termen sinuate, cilia 1 ; in $ 3 absent, 2 and 4 connate or 

 stalked, 5 absent, G and 7 connate or stalked, or coincident cell sometimes 

 open, in 9 2 remote, 3 and 4 connate or stalked, 5 near, parallel, 6 and 

 7 connate or stalked. 



This genus shows considerable variation of structure, especially in veins 7 — 9 

 of forewings, and in the often greatly modified palpi and other secondary 

 sexual characters of the $ ; but I have no doubt that the different forms are 

 properly included in the same genus, which remains easily definable. From 

 Timyra it is readily distinguished by the absence of vein 3 in forewings, the 

 presence of vein 5 in hindwings of 9> and the want of the large median tuft 

 of posterior tibiae. The curious modification of the palpi of $ occurs in 



