118 



TROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



Mr. Ramakrisbna 

 Ayyar. 



Tiratliaha sp. nov. 



Annl. Rept. 1917-18, p. 98, t. U, ff. 2 (1918). 



Larvae were found at Pusa boring young coconut fruits in the bunch 

 ■on the tree and causing the young fruits to drop ofi. 



Tirathaha (Wlk., Cat. XXX, 961) is the Mucialla of the Fauna volume 

 (IV, 5). 



A very similar species of this genus has been recorded to attack young 

 coconut fruits in Fiji in a similar way and it is probable that this Indian 

 species is widely distributed in India and does more damage than is at 

 present suspected. Here at Pusa we are not in a coconut-growing 

 district, and have only a few odd coconut palms here at all ; so we have 

 little opportunity of going into this question. But those of you who work 

 in coconut districts might look to see whether this insect is not present. 



Mr. Sampson was telling me some time ago about an injury to very 

 tender coconuts which was very similar to that described just now. The 

 young fruits had punctures in them and all such punctured fruits 

 dropped down. This insect may have been responsible for the damage. 



Mi. Retcher. 



Biatrcea saccharalis, Fb.* 



Hmpsn.,B.J.,XII,306fig. 



Recorded by Hampson from Ceylon. This is the species notorious 

 as a cane-pest in America and the West Indies. It seems very doubtful 

 whether it really occurs in India. 



Diatraea venosata, Wlk. 



Diatraea venosata Wlk., Cat. XXVII, 144 ; Hmpsn., P. Z. S. 



1895, 954 ; Proc. Second Entl. Meeting, p. 142 ; Annl. Rept. 



1917-18, pp. 90-93, t. 5. 

 Diatraea striatalis, Snell., Tijds. voor Ent. XXXIV, 349, t. 19, 



ff. 1-4. 



Probably occurs everywhere in the Plains of India, the larva boring 

 in sugarcane and less commonly in cereals such Sbsjuar, maize and rice. 



We have specimens of the true D. venosata from Pasoeroean, Java, 

 and these appear very similar to Indian examples reared at Pusa from 

 sugarcane and less commonly from maize and juar stems, at Ramnad 

 from sugarcane, at Jalalpur (Bombay) from sugarcane and juar stems, 

 at Surat from sugarcane and maize, and at Cawnpur from juar. 



* Note. — The discussion on this and the following species of cane-borers will be found 

 on pages 387 et seq. 



