478 RAO SAHIB Y. RAMACHANDRA RAO. 



The caterpillar seeks the ground when full-grown and constructs a loose silken 

 cocoon (into which the hairs of the trunk are incorporated) , in cracks of the soil or 

 of mud walls close by. 



The pupa is about 18 mm. long; stout and thickset, translucent grey when 

 fresh, but turning yellowish-brown after a time. The anterior end is rounded and 

 stout, while the posterior end is conical and terminates in an elongate spike-like 

 process, carrying a bunch of recurved hooks at the tip. The wing rudiments reach 

 almost to the edge of the fourth segment. DorsaUy, both on the thorax and on the 

 abdomen, groups of little chitinous tubercles — each carrying a fairly long curved 

 grey hair — are noticeable. These form cushions of hair, which serve to support the 

 pupa as it hes on its back in the cocoon. Similar cushions — but smaller in size 

 and composed of shorter hairs — are found laterally and ventrally. The moth emerges 

 in 8 to 11 days in summer, as may be seen froni the table given below :— 



Pupated. Emerged. No. of days. 



(1) 12-13.vii.1920 ... 20-21.viiT920 ... 8 



(2) 19.vii.l920 ... 30-31 .vii. 1920 ... 11 



(3) 22-23.vii.1920 ... 30-31. vii. 1920 ... 8 



(4) 23-24.vii.1920 ... 31.vii.-l.viii.l920 ... 8 



(5) 23-24.vii.1920 ... l-2.viii.1920 ... 9 



The duration of the egg stage is not known, but probably varies from a week 

 to 10 days in summer. Since the larval stage occupied about 24 days in the two 

 cases under observation and the pupal stage covers 8 to 1 1 days, the entire life-cycle of 

 the moth, from the time the egg is laid up to the time of the em.ergence of the moth, 

 is about a month and a half. It is therefore probable that there are about three 

 generations of the pest during the warmer part of the year, i.e., from April to 

 September. The insect probably hibernates as a larva in cracks in the soil or in 

 crevices in the bark : and it is even not unlikely that it passes the winter in the 

 egg-stage— considering the large size of the eggs. In the neighbourhood of Karradah 

 the fig caterpillar was not known by any special name except by the general term 

 " Dud-et-teen " (literally, the fig worm). 



Banding the stems with tanglefoot might prove effective as well as economical 

 in large gardens and deserves a trial in affected localities. 



Theretra alecto, L., on Grape Vines. 



A light green shiny spherical egg — 1-5 mm. in diameter — was noted on the 

 10th August 1920, laid on the upper surface of a leaf of a grape-vine, in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Government tree nurseries at Baghdad. On the 12th August the 

 egg hatched into a slender greenish caterpillar, 3-4 mm. long, with the anal horn 

 black and disproportionately long compared with the body. On the 14th August 

 the first moult took place, and the second on the 17th. The caterpillar was 

 observed growing rapidly, while the anal horn was noticed to become shorter after 

 each moult. On the 26th August the third moult was gone through ; dots were 

 noted to have appeared on the sides of the trunk. On the 21st August the cater- 

 pillar measured about 37 mm., while on the 22nd the length was about 50 mm. On 

 the 23rd August the fourth skin was cast and the spectacle-hke markings were noted 

 to have appeared. On the 25th August the larva of the fifth or last instar was 

 about 60 mm. long, reddish-brown, thickset and cylindrical. The anterior part of 

 the body was tapering, the head being opaque dark brown and small in proportion 

 to the rest of the body. The segments of the thorax were narrower than those of the 

 abdomen, but progressively increased in size from the front backwards. Segment 1 

 of the abdomen was the stoutest, and was marked dorsolaterally with a pair of large 

 circular yellow-ringed black markings, having the appearance of a pair of eyes. 

 A similar but smaller and less conspicuous pair of spectacles was noticeable on 



