PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 141 
Myllocerus 11-pustulatus, M. blandus and M. discolor are all found Mr. Fletcher. 
on young cane-leaves as adult weevils and, when in numbers, may do 
damage, but they are not regular pests. 
Papua depressella (Polyocha saccharella) was found at Pusa, last 
year for the first time, boring into young shoots of cane from newly- 
planted setts. This species occurs at Pusa commonly every year and 
has been under observation for the last ten or twelve years, but hitherto 
we have only known it as a borer in the roots of cane. If the roots are 
examined when the old cane is removed from the field, they are generally 
found to contain large numbers of the caterpillars of Pupua depressella. 
Although cane-borers, that is, borers in the shoots and stems of cane, 
have been reared at Pusa in large numbers for many years past, we had 
not hitherto found Papua depressella amongst these. Last year the 
new shoots were extensively bored by this insect, roughly fifty per cent. 
of the new shoots being affected. The sudden change of habit seems 
most interesting. We have figured the stages of the lifehistory of this 
species on a new coloured plate [exhibited] and this shows the attacked 
stem with a ‘‘ dead-heart ”’ usually characteristic of borer attack. 
Papua depressella was hitherto known as a root-borer and used to be Mr. Ghosh. 
found commonly in the roots of the ratoon crop. * But in 1916 it affected 
the young shoots, practically producing the same effect as the other 
borers do ; the damage was nearly fifty per cent. 
The lifehistory is as follows: The eggs are small and are laid singly 
on a leaf or stem. The caterpillars bore the base of the new shoots 
(or, rather, the newly-forming stems) ; they may migrate to neighbour- 
ing shoots and bore into them from the side. Pupation takes place in the 
tunnel and, in order to facilitate the emergence of the imago, a silken 
tube is formed leading up to the surface of the soil. It is not possible 
to remove the caterpillars unless the shoot is cut flush with the surface 
of the sett. If the affected shoot is pulled sideways, after removing 
the earth from its base, it is easily dislodged from the sett, and in 
some cases the caterpillar comes up with the shoot. The life-cycle is 
about one month. 
We now come to the insects boring in the stem of sugarcance. We mr. Fletcher 
find :— 
Diatrwa spp. 
Chilo simplex. 
Scirpophaga sxanthogastrella (auriflua). 
+ monostigma. 
Sesamia inferens. 
ny untformis. 
Oryctes rhinoceros. 
