ORTALIA PALLENS. 171 



liveness or some attractive aroma to bring prey within their reach. 



The writer is unable to give any account of the habits of the 

 .adult beetles or to indicate where the eggs are deposited by the 

 females. It was only with considerable difficulty that five adults 

 were raised from fifty larvae and pupae collected in 1919-1920, the 

 remainder being parasitised by a large Chalcid. 



The larvae are usually found clustered in groups and covered 

 by waxy filaments. After each moult the larva is naked, but 

 becomes reclothed within 24 hours. Four larvae, carefully denuded 

 of all covering with a sable brush, and placed in a tube one after- 

 ,noon. were found to be clothed by the morning with short fila- 

 ments. The newly moulted larva is of a pale yellow colour. At 

 ,the back of the head, and laterad on each segment are knob-like 

 ..glandular areas, from which tufts of filaments are produced, whilst 

 on the rest of the dorsal surface a fluffy secretion is formed. At 

 the time of pupation this fluffy secretion is produced in sufficient 

 quantity to envelope the pupa, which then appears to be wrapped 

 in the finest cotton wool. This envelope, being readily adherent 

 to anything that touches it, protects the pupa from attacking ants, 

 which are frequently found dead, entangled in the fluff. The 

 larval exuvium can be found beneath the fluffy covering attached 

 to the anal end of the pupa. 



The few adults which were reared were tried with many species 



• of the common Coccidae, Aphidae, and also PhekJole 'punctulata, 

 but they refused all food in captivity. When tried with living 

 Pheidole a viscous yellow fluid was exuded from the femoro-tibial 

 joints of the beetles, which, coming in contact with the ants, caused 

 them to fight and tear one another to pieces. This experiment 

 was repeated three or four times with the same result. 



The adult beetle, when alive, has pubescent elytra of a light 



• dove-grey colour, a black head and clypeus, large azure blue eyes, 

 and legs and thorax of an ochraceous yellow. The body below is 

 yellow, with pygidium exposed. The colours rapidly fade after 

 death, the whole insect often assuming a more or less uniform 

 yellow colour, a striking contrast to the living beetle. 



I am indebted to Mr. Claude Fuller, Assistant Chief of the 

 Division of Entomology, for the following information: — 



"Ortalia pallens Muls. is represented in the collection of the 

 Division of Entomology at Pretoria by specimens from Kwarubo- 

 nombi, Zululand, and in the Transvaal Museum by material from 

 Durban, Pietersburg, and Lijdenburg. The Zululand specimens 

 were determined by Dr. G. K. Marshall, of the Imperial Bureau 

 of Entomology, those in the Transvaal Museum by Dr. Weise, of 

 ■ Germany." 



In connection with the specimens mentioned as coming from 



Zululand it is interesting to note that they were taken from a 



fluffy white mass found in the centre of a red ants' nest, collected 



by Miss M. Wilde Brown and forwarded to the Division by the 



' Curator of the Durban Museum. At the time no suspicion was 



aroused as to the real significance of the presence of these Coccinel- 



" lide in the ants' nest. 



14 



