374 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



The violet-spotted Zeuzerid Borer (C. S. 1696 and C. S. 1857) (? Phrag 



matcBcia sp . ) . ( Plate 35 . ) 



Foodplants. — Bairi {Saccharum spontaneum hatri) ; juar {Andropogon 

 Sorghum). In tlie Insectary the caterpillars fed on Saccharum 

 arundinaceum {Kanra) stem. 



This borer has only one generation in the year. Moths appear about 

 October and deposit eggs probably among the foodplants. The eggs 

 hatch within a few days. The caterpillars feed throughout the winter, 

 summer and the rains and are available in all these seasons. Their 

 growth is very slow. They occur in profuse numbers in Batri and have 

 been found in small numbers in juar. In the Insectary moths emerged 

 between 1st October and 6th November. Young caterpillars have been 

 collected from outside on the 11th October and more and more advanced 

 ones practically in all the later months up to August when full-grown 

 ones are available. They pupated in September-October. 



In the Insectary a moth laid 80 unfertilized eggs in an irregular 

 heap. Each egg is about 1 mm. long and about 0-6 mm. thick, elongated, 

 tubular ' in shape with truncated ends. The shell is glossy and has 

 very faint longitudinal furrows. 



A fullgrown caterpillar measures about 30 mm. in length and about 

 5 mm. across the body. The head is yellow, glossy and smaller than 

 the prothorax. The prothorax is pale yellow with a large shield similarly 

 coloured as the head. The shield has a pair of brown spots one on 

 each side and connected by a brown bar. The posterior half of the 

 shield is armed with a number of posteriorly-directed flattened brown 

 spines. The meso and metathoracic segments are divided into three 

 and the abdominal segments into two sub-segments, the posterior sub- 

 segments of all these and the anal segments have on the dorsum a 

 number of minute tubercles surmounted with thin small hairs. There 

 are similar tubercles clustered below the spiracles and also on the fold 

 above the legs. The spiracles are elongated oval, yellow. The five 

 pairs of prolegs are short but equally developed. The general colour 

 of the body is yellowish-white. The metathorax and the first abdominal 

 segment are violet coloured or rather purple with a violet tinge. The 

 other abdominal segments have prominent violet markings which make 

 up a thin middorsal stripe, a broad interrupted dorsolateral stripe and 

 a similar spiracular stripe. The ventral surface is without any violet 

 markings. 



The young caterpillars resemble older ones to some extent in appear- 

 ance but have long hairs on the body. 



