PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 259 
stripped of leaves. In such cases, if the larve are present in sufficient 
numbers, the attacked branches may be cut and burnt ; and the cocoons 
on the tree-trunks may also be squashed. Spraying is impracticable 
in the case of large palms but can be done, or the caterpillars picked 
off, in the case of small plants. 
Contheyla rotunda, a hitherto scarce species originally described 
from Kanara, occurred as a pest of coconut in South Malabar in February 
and March 1916, the larve damaging the foliage and sometimes the 
flower-shoots and rinds of young nuts. When full-fed, the larva pupates 
in a small, oval, hard, shell-like cocoon, numbers of which are found on 
badly attacked tree-fronds. Spraying with Lead Arsenate was tried 
but found impracticable, and the preventive measures of cutting off 
first-attacked fronds and the destruction of the shell-like cocoons found 
on the trees before an outbreak were suggested and taken up by the 
ryots. This species has also recently been reported as a pest of tea 
in the Wynaad. 
Nephantis serinopa [“ South Indian Insects,” p. 460, fig. 336] occurs 
throughout the Plains of Southern India, Bengal, Burma, and Ceylon 
as a pest, often serious, of coconut. It also occurs commonly on palmyra 
but does not damage this so much. In the case of large trees, the 
cutting and burning of the first-attacked branches is the only practicable 
method. A few moths are attracted to light-traps but it is doubtful 
how far these are really efficient. In the case of small trees, spraying 
with a stomach-poison is possible. 
Nephantis serinopa is very common in Burma. Mr. Shroff. 
In Bengal, Nephantis serinopa has been found bad on palms in Mr, P. C. Sen. 
Burdwan and the Presidency Divisions. 
Oryctes rhinoceros [‘ South Indian Insects,”’ p. 285, tab. 3] is common mr. Fletcher. 
in all coconut-growing districts and is a bad pest, not only by boring 
into the soft crowns of the trees but by providing thereby a means of 
entry for Rhynchophorus ferrugineus to lay its eggs in the palms. The 
lifehistory has been worked out and described in Entomological Memoirs, 
Vol. II, pp. 193-204, and there is not much more to say about that ; 
I called your attention to the fact that rotting Agave stumps often pro- 
vide a suitable situation for the grubs to live in, and they have also 
been found in the rotting mass of pulp left over after pulping coffee- 
berries. As the early stages are passed in rotting vegetable matter, 
control may aim at destruction of the grubs as well as the adult beetles, 
Heaps of rotting vegetable matter near palm groves should be regularly 
turned over and the grubs picked out and destroyed and all dead and 
rotten palms should be cut and burnt. It may be noted that in the 
case of palms, which have died from bud-rot, the dead top-shoots may 
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