396 



SOME SOUTH INDIAN INSECTS. ETC. 



Distribution. — Bellary, Coimbatore. 



Lifehistory. Eggs in clusters ; spherical, depressed in centre. 

 The eggs hatch after about <s days, all hatching at one time, the 

 young caterpillars feeding gregariously at first, but separating 

 later. Full-grown caterpillar 15 -25 mm. long, cylindrical, yellow- 

 ish brown, paler beneath : on the first four abdominal segments are 

 dorsal, thick, rounded, brush-like tufts of short yellow hairs, on the 

 prothorax is a pair of long anteriorly divergent black hair-pencils 

 and on the penultimate segment is a stouter posteriorly-directed 

 pencil of orange-brown hairs; all the segments with warts from 

 which arise long fine hairs. Pupation in a tough silken cocoon. 

 The life-cycle is: — egg, 8 days; larva, 25 days ; pupa, 8 days. The 

 male moth is winged and very active ; the female is wingless and 

 sluggish and often never quits the cocoon after emergence from the 

 pupal condition. 



Food pi, nits. Castor, Erythrina. Probably polyphagous. 



Status. Occasionally a serious pest on castor. 



Control. The young caterpillars, whilst still gregarious, are 

 easily seen and hand-picked. 



OLEiNE (DASVCHIRA) MENDOSA. Hi). 

 Bombyx mendosa, Hubner, Zutr.. II. 19, ff. 293-294. 

 Dasychira mendosa, Hmpsn., Faun. lnd. Moths, I, 452 453; I.M.N., 

 III, No. 4, p. 22, fig. ; Lefroy, lnd. Ins. Life, p. 460. 



In,, _'h4. — Olene mendosa, larva and moth. (Original.) 



Distribution. Bellary. Coimbatore. Shevaroys. 



Lifehistory. Not known in any detail. The appearance of the 

 caterpillar is shown in the figure. It pupates in a slight silken 

 , 01 con 



FoodplantS. Castor, red-gram, coffei , 



Status. A minor pest. 



Control. Hand-picking 



