4 
112 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 
there may be considerable loss of crop from this, or the bolls open prema- 
turely and the fibre is short and comparatively useless. The oil content 
of the attacked seed is seriously lessened also and the germination is 
also affected if the seeds are used for sowing. 
Gelechia gossyprella was first described from India in 1842 and is 
probably endemic in India. It has since been imtroduced into other 
cotton-growing areas and has proved a serious pest, apparently worse 
than it is in India asa whole. It was apparently introduced into Egypt 
about ten years ago, probably in so-called ginned cotton (containing 
a high proportion of seed) imported from India. In Egypt it has spread 
and increased until it has become a most serious pest of the Cotton crop. 
A most voluminous Report on its occurrence in Egypt has recently been 
issued by Mr. F. G. Willcocks, a large quarto volume of over 300 pages 
on this one insect. It is impossible to summarize this now but the book 
is placed on the table and I recommend those who are interested to have 
a look through it. 
Gelechia gossypiella has also been introduced into Hawaii and has 
proved a pest to cotton there also, and a good deal has been written 
about it. One interesting fact is that Mr. Fullaway has reared G. gossy- 
piella in Hawaii from Thespesia populnea, which is a common tree in 
India and may perhaps serve as an alternative foodplant here also. 
Anyway, I draw your attention to the possibility of this. 
G@. gossypiella is attacked by a good many parasites. In India a 
Braconid was reared at Surat and is figured in “ Indian Insect Pests ” 
[p. 95, fig. 107] under the name Urogaster depressarie, but 1 think that 
is only a manuscript name of Ashmead’s, never published. Rhogas, 
whether of one or more species or of which species, I cannot say, has 
also been reared in India from bolls attacked by G. gossypiella but possibly 
Earias may have been present also. In Egypt Willcocks has given, 
pp. 233-269 of his Report on Pink Bollworm, a list of the parasites met 
with, and in Hawaii Swezey has listed the parasites of this species [Proc. 
Ent. Soc. Hawai, III, pp. 101-109.] This is a subject on which we want 
to know more in India. 
Another subject on which we require more information is the various 
alternative foodplants on which Gelechia gossypiella may breed in India. 
Our series includes examples reared from cotton buds, flowers and seeds 
from various localities in India and also specimens bred at Pusa from 
Hibiscus abelmoschus, and also one Pusa specimen labelled ‘ on holly- 
hock.”” Whether this last was bred or not I cannot say ; it is an example 
of the inconclusive information to be derived from an incomplete method 
of labelling, about which I spoke in my opening address to you. Amongst 
other likely food-plants are other species of Hibiscus, Abutilon, Sida and 
