12 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



Platyptilia brachymorpha, Meyr. 

 (Plate A., figure 3.) 



Brachymorpha.— -Meyr., T. E. S., 1888, 240; B. J., XVII., 135; 

 T. E. S., 1907, 483. 



Seeboldi. — Hofmann, Iris, XI., 33. 



Distribution. — Puttalam, Galle, Trincomalee, Dambulla, Madul- 

 sima, Arawa, Alutnuwara, Mankulam, Anuradhapura, Kegalla, 

 Haldummulla.j ^oJ-^- - 



Apparently confined to the low-country. Outside of Ceylon, it 

 has been recorded from Syria, India, South Africa, and Hawaii. 



Early Stages. — The life-history is quite unknown. The larva may 

 be looked for on the flowers of some composite plant growing in 

 dry, sandy places. 



Platyptilia direptalis, Wlk. 



Wlk., Cat. XXX., 934 ; Meyr., T. E. S., 1907, 485. 



Distribution. — Pattipola. I have not seen this species. It 

 occurs also in India, and has been recorded from Cape Colony and 

 the Congo. In India and Ceylon it seems to be essentially a hill 

 species, all the records being from localities with an elevation of 

 6,000 feet or over. 



Platyptilia molopias, Meyr. 

 (Plate A., figure 1.) 



Molopias.— Meyr., B. J., XVII., 135. 



Mesopterna. — Meyr., M. S. S. (ined.). 

 ■ Distribution. — Maskeliya, Kandy, Peradeniya, Nuwara Eliya, 

 Hakgala, Pattipola, Diyatalawa, Madulsima. 



Not yet recorded, except from Ceylon, where it is fairly common 

 in the hill districts. 



Early Stages.— Ovum. — The egg is about -47 mm. long by about 

 •3 mm. broad, the micropylar end distinctly the larger and 

 flattened ; in colour it is of a very pale green, the surface reticulated 

 with large but shallow rounded depressions. 



Larva. — Larvae were found on May 18, 1908, at Madulsima, 

 feeding on the flowers and unripe seeds of Teucrium tomentosum, 

 Hey. The larva is of a very pale green colour, and is very difficult 

 to discern when in situ on the food plant. Half -grown examples 

 often seem to have a narrow reddish medio-dorsal stripe, lacking 

 in adults, which latter have sometimes some lateral reddish markings 

 on the thoracic segments. Like all "plume" larvae, however, this 

 one is very variable in colour, and some examples might be 

 described as reddish with a greenish latero-dorsal suffusion on the 

 abdominal segments. The head is yellowish or pale green, the ocelli 

 very distinctly marked in black. The segmental divisions are 

 sharply distinct. All primary hairs are white ; the longest hairs 



