510 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XXII, 1921.] 



fined in a tube with others of the same species it will kill them, 

 especially if they are already injured. It feeds readily on boll- 

 extract-agar medium. One specimen was seen sucking what 

 appeared to be the remains of a small lepidopterous larva. It is 

 suspected together with the other species of beins; instrumental in 

 introducing pathogenic bacteria into young bolls and causing pre- 

 mature boll fall. 



Ragmus flavomaculatus, n. sp. 

 (Plate xxvii, fig. 3). 



Colour virescent, head pronotum scutellum and hemelytra 

 with large 3'ellow spots arranged as follows : — 



Head. — Anteriorly a O-shaped marking, on the vertex an irre- 

 gular spot by each eye. 



Pronotum — Six spots. Two anteriorly, four along the poste- 

 rior margin. 



Scutellum. — Two spots. Some specimens show two spots on 

 mesonotum. 



Wings. — Hemelytra with ten conspicuous spots, seven on the 

 corium, three on the clavus. Clavus, coriumand cuneus obscurely 

 spotted dark brown. 



Antennae. — Black spot near distal end of first joint ; base of 

 second joint and base of third black. Second joint not so thick as 

 in R. morosus. Third joint slightly longer than half the second joint. 

 In some specimens the distal end of the fourth joint is fuscous. 



Head. — Between the eyes narrow as in R. morosus and hairy; 

 on the vertex two irregularlj^ shaped yellow spots bordering the 

 eyes. 



Legs. — Last pair of legs have the femora conspicuously spot- 

 ted with black as in R. morosus and other species of the genus, 

 and in addition a rosette of five spots at distal end. First and 

 middle pair obscurely' spotted. Tarsi spinulose but more strongly 

 so on last pair of legs. 



Wings. — Hemelytra with ten conspicuous yellow spots as des- 

 cribed above. Posterior margin of the cuneus spotted with black. 

 A triangular black spot half way between cuneus and tip of 

 membrane. Tip of membrane fuscous. Cells of membrane out- 

 lined fuscous. 



Length. — 2 mm. 



Food plants. — Cotton bolls and leaves [Andropogon sorghum). 

 Will attack and feed on Aphis and Thrips. 



Locality. — Coimbatore (Madras Presidency). 



Type. — In collection at .\gricultural College, Coimbatore. 



Found associated with R. morosus on cotton bolls. It was 

 not found on gingelly. Persists throughout most of the cotton 

 season but had practically disappeared bj' the end of June. 



I wish to express my indebtedness to Dr. G. A. K. Marshall 

 for comparing these two species with types of the other species of 

 the genus at the British Museum and to Mr. B. P. Uvarov for 

 drawing up a list of the chief differences found. 



