8 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. IX, 



central granular plate at its base. The insect, in this stage, 

 measures 2*5 by 2 mm. 



What appears to be a still earlier stage has been closer ved. It 

 differs from that shown at figure 36 in its smaller size (1*25 by 

 075 mm.), and in the presence of only two series of glandular pits 

 on the venter. It is possible that both of these intermediate 

 forms may be stages in the early development of the male insect, 

 which has not yet been identified. 



Newly hatched larva (pi. iv, fig. 41) oblong oval, with a trans- 

 verse row of stout hairs on each segment. Posterior extremity of 

 body with two very long fine setae, as long as the body of the insect. 

 Rostral apparatus with the laVjium displaced forwards to a position 

 immediately in front of the tentorium. Antenna (pi. iv, fig. 42) 6- 

 jointed; ist joint stout, approximateh' as broad as long, equal in 

 length to 2nd and 3rd together ; 2nd joint narrow, cylindrical, 

 longer than broad; 3rd, 4th and 5th short, widest medially ; 6th 

 as broad as but longer than ist. the apex obliquely truncate ; hairs 

 disposed as in the figure. Anterior limb very stout ; tibia and tarsus 

 fused together to form a stout curved claw. [Median and posterior 

 limbs long and slender ; with two distinct small joints, presumably 

 representing a divided trochanter, as in certain parasitic Hymenop- 

 tera, betw^een the coxa and the femur (pi. iv, fig. 43). Foot (pi. iv, 

 fig. 44) with a long, slender, pointed, almost straight claw, more 

 than three-quarters the length of the tarsus. There are four rela- 

 tively' large thoracic spiracles; abdominal spiracles minute, 7 on 

 each side, the 7th almost obsolete. Length of bod3^ r mm. 



A single unhatched egg (pi. iv, fig. 45), found amongst a crowd 

 of young larvae, measures i mm. by 0^43 mm. This egg contained 

 a fully developed embryo. 



The present examples of M niger were received from the 

 same localities that produced the fresh material of M. papiUosus, 

 viz., from Honnali, Shimoga district, Mysore vState {L. C. Cole- 

 man), and from the Bellary district, Madras Presidency [T. Bain- 

 brigge Fletcher). In both instances they appear to have been 

 found at the roots of Cynodon dadylon, and early stages of the 

 in=ect were found to be actually attached to the rhizomes of this 

 grass. They were also found at the roots of ' Red Gram.' 

 Mr. Fletcher's Assistant (Mr. Y. Ramachandra Rao) supplies the 

 following particulars: — 'The peculiar globular egg like bodies 

 were met with at a depth varying from i to 3 inches in the soil 



This form occnrred mostly in red soils. The majority of the 



specimens were perfectly globular, but some had depressions and 



irregularities on their surface There was much variation in 



size ; the biggest measured 8 mm. in diameter, while the smallest 

 were less than 2 mm. The shell is very hard in encysted forms, 

 but is soft, tender and purplish brown in colour when the scale is 

 immature. Fresh and carefully collected specimens showed at one 

 spot (the anterior end of the insect) the vestiges of a mouth with 

 two long delicate hairs arising from it. These break oft" when the 

 shell hardens Towards the end of February and in March, 



