Notes on Insects Damaging Sugar Cane in Queensland. 11 



creamy-white. Outer margin edged with three rows of fiesh-coloiired 

 spatiilate scales. Hind-wings pale silvery-yellow suffused with gray on 

 apical area and extreme edge of outer margin. Head, thorax, and palpi 

 pinkish-white, the last mentioned porrected and snout-like. Abdomen 

 dark-gray, barred transversely with narrow silver bands; anal segment 

 tufted with yellow scales. Centre and distal end of hind tibia? armed 

 with two spurs of unequal length ; intermediate tibia:' with two distal 

 spurs. Wing expanse, 31 mm. (about 1^4 inches). Length of body, 

 15 mm. 



(5) OPOGONA GLYCYPHAGA, Meyr. (Family TINEIDAE). 

 Plate II., Fig. 5. j-n., p. 13. 



Although of little economic importance, this insect occasionally proves 

 injurious to seed cane, the caterpillars sometimes destroying as much as 

 80 per cent, of eyes in soft varieties like " Clark's Seedling " (H.Q. 426). 



In addition to direct injuries of this nature, they feed on the leaf- 

 sheath, gnaw the surface of the rind close to buds, and frequently bore 

 into cane stalks, thus producing various wounds that court invasion 

 from fungus diseases. 



Owing to secluded habits and the insignificant size of both larva and 

 adult, a moderate infestation may easily remain unnoticed in the field, 

 especially when affecting varieties of hard cane. " Badila " is freely 

 attacked at Gordonvale, but injuries appear to be confined principally 

 to the epidermis of the rind in the immediate vicinity of nodes, and to 

 softer basal portions of the leaf-sheath and arrow. The succulent leaf- 

 stalks of the banana and fruit of the granadilla are also tunnelled by 

 larva^ of this pest. 



Appearance of Larva. 



Body translucent ; general colour pinkish-yellow. Head dark 

 reddish-brown with several rather long yellow hairs. Prothoracic segment 

 smooth and shining, pale-yellow, shading to bro^^^l on posterior half, 

 which constitutes a collar extending nearly to spiracles, and with a 

 darker brown plate on each side on spiracular area forming a continua- 

 tion of the dorsal collar but separated from it. Meso- and metathoracie 

 segments each with 10 large yellowish-brown blotches of unequal size 

 above spiracles, and a narrow transverse blotch between spiracles and 

 legs. Abdominal segments with four small dark spots arranged in 

 subdorsal lines extending the length of body, and four spots on each 

 side grouped around spiracles. Ventral area of first, second, and last 

 three abdominal segments with a transverse row of about eight smaller 

 spots. Blotches on thoracic segments bear two yellow hairs, and 

 abdominal spots a single hair. Anal segment terminated by a light 



