272 



insects. Owing to the abundance of the fish, the food-supply in the 

 Hot Sprin,i<s ree;ion in New Zealand is practically exhausted. 

 Suggestions are made for the restoration of the natural balance 

 between the trout and their food-supply so that the failure of 

 these fisheries mav be averted. 



Fi.F.TCHER (T. B.) Life-histories of Indian Insects: Microlepidoptera, — 



Mem. Dcpt. Agric. India, Piisa, Ent. Ser., vi, nos. 1-9, 

 November 1920, 217 pp., 6vS plates. [Received 4th April 1921.] 



At the present time some 458 genera and 2,422 species of Micro- 

 lepidoptera are recorded from India, though many regions remain 

 unexplored in this respect. Knowledge of the life-histories of these 

 small moths is very incomplete ; the present paper deals with the 

 early stages of some 396 species, the information being compiled from 

 existing and unpublished records of the Pusa Research Institute. 



The species dealt with include the Pterophorids, Diacrotricha 

 fasciola, Z., which feeds on flowers of Averrhoa hilimhi, a cultivated 

 tree, by means of which it may be artificially spread ; Oxypiiliis 

 lactucae, sp. n., on lettuce ; 0. causodes, Meyr., on the fruit of Dillenia 

 reiusa ; Platyptilia cttropleura, ]\Ieyr., the larvae of which feed in the 

 seed-capsules of Begonia sp. ; P. pusillidaciyla, Wlk., which attacks 

 Lantana and was introduced from Hawaii into Mexico to aid in reducing 

 that plant ; Exelastis atomosa, Wlsm., an important pest of Cajanns 

 indicns (pigeon pea) on which it is found in all stages when the crop is 

 coming into flower and bud, and has for an alternate food-plant the 

 bean, Dolichos lablah ; the Carposinid, M eridarchis reprobata, Meyr., 

 in fruits of Eugenia jamholana and olives ; the Phaloniid, Clysia 

 amhigiiella, Hb., recorded from three districts, but not yet noted 

 as a pest in India ; the Tortricid, Homona coffearia, Nietn., not 

 considered a serious pest of tea, although it occurs throughout the tea 

 districts of north-east India ; the Eucosmids, Euccsma melanauia, Meyr., 

 a common pest of Cajanus indicns;, Phaseolus radiatns, P. miingo and 

 P. aconitifolins ; Argyroploce paragramma, Meyr., a pest of bamboo, 

 the larvae boring in the shoots ; Laspeyresia pfyckora, Meyr., feeding 

 in pods of the cowpea ( Vigna sinensis) and of Cajanus indicns ; 

 L. jaculatrix, Meyr., the larvae of which are abundant in the bark of 

 Dalbergia sissu, whence they emerge to feed on the leaves, and are 

 attacked by a Bombyliid f^y and by a Hymenopterous parasite ; 

 L. pseudonectis, Meyr., which attacks sann-hemp {Crotalaria juncea), 

 forming galls on the top shoots and also feeds on Phaseolus mungo 

 and Dolichos biflorus ; Cydia (L.) pomonella, L., which has been 

 recorded from Kashmir, but does not appear to be known in the 

 apple-growing regions of India; and L. pidverula, I\Ieyr., and 

 Pammene theristis, INIeyr., both from Shorea robusta. 



Gelechiids include Sitofroga cerealeUa, 01., in stored grain, which 

 has also been reared from bamboo seeds ; Phthorimaea heliopa. Low., 

 generally a minor pest of tobacco, but occasionally a major pest in 

 western India, the larvae boring in the leaves, niidrib and stem ; 

 P. opercnlella, Z., introduced from Italy about 20 years previously 

 and now an important potato pest ; Stomopteryx nerieria, ]\Ieyr., on 

 Cajanus indicns, soybean and groundnut, of which it is an important 

 pest in Madras ; Plaiyedra gossypiclla, Saimd., the pink bollworm 

 of cotton, which is probably native to India , DactyletJira Candida, Stn., 

 which makes galls on shoots of wild indigo ; Brachmia engrapta, Meyr., 



