10 si'ol.l A ZBYLANICA. 



actual experiments instead of theoretic deductions, which can at 

 best be only guesses ;il the truth. 



Sub-family.— PLAT YPTIL1NM. 

 STENOPTILIA, Hb. 



Synopsis of the Species. 

 First segment of f.w. with anal angle . . /.ophodactyla 



First segment of f.w. without anal angle . . petraea 



Stenoptilia zophodactyla, Dup. 

 %.Jfcu<*, A "~ f^ r Duponchel, Hist, Nat, Lep., XL, GG8, t, 314, 4; Leech, Brit. 

 L^ 4 ml - Pyral. 60; Meyr., Eandbk, 440; Tutt, Brit. Lep., V.. 319; Meyr., 

 £, w kJE.M.M., 1907, 146. Meyr., T. E. S., 1907, 504. 



. ... .; Distribution. — Diyatalawa, Hakgala, Madulsima. 

 4/3 °""~^^~TiVi'i? 3 ^ I' 1 Ceylon this is decidedly a hill species, being found on dry 



-s patana hillsides at a height of about 4,000 feet and over. 

 UytitK \>M* r n g recorded distribution outside Ceylon includes Argentina, 



;f to -z.o^j^S^r- ) Eastern Australia, India. Central and Southern Europe, Asia 

 ki^C ^ u U'^t"'-" Minor, and Armenia. 



y \fljc <* Early Stages. — The egg is quite ol the Platyptilid type, being oval, 



, , ,. f i. with both ends equal and rounded off. In colour it is of a uniform 

 1 pale green, the surface delicately reticulated. 



■ l " The early stages of the larva have nol yel been observed in 



^ ^kt" wttAJ 1 - c e yi on) but the following is a description of a lull fed larva found 

 Sm>ji Vr^^** at Diyatalawa on September 17, 11)07 : 



-Ta-^ " The larva, at rest and apparenl ly aboul full-fed, is about 10 mm. 



^ long, stout, stoutest about third segment and tapering thence 

 gradually. Head pale yellow with black ocelli. Colour a pale 

 green, the spiracles narrowly ringed with black ; they are situated 

 about half way up the segments but do not seem raised above the 

 skin-surface at all. There is a broad medio-dorsal stripe, purple at 

 the edges, but very dark internally. This is narrowly and obscurely 

 edged by a narrow whitish-green longitudinal stripe, of a tint 

 slightly paler than the ground-colour. Halfway between the lower 

 edge of this stripe and the spiracle is a second similar whitish-green 

 stripe, and a third similar stripe occurs on the latero- ventral surface 

 at a distance below the spiracle, equal to that of the second stripe 

 above it. The two latero-dorsal setigerous tubercles are situated 

 at a horizontal distance apart, equal to about one-third of the width 

 of the segment; the foremost one bears a short black hair, the 

 aftermost a similar white hair ; the tubercles themselves are very 

 small and inconspicuous. Just above the spiracle occurs a short 

 white hair, directed outwards, -lust below the spiracle are (i.) a 

 very short white hair directed forward, (ii.) a short white hair 

 directed backward. The whole body, particularly on the dorsal 

 and ventral regions, is thickly covered with minute short, black, 

 bristly hairs. The legs are fairly large and are yellowish in colour ; 



