284 Mr. W. W. Saunders' Description of a Species of 



XL. Description of a Species of Moth destructive to the 

 Cotton Crops in India. By W. W. Saunders, Esq., 

 F.L.S. &c. 



[Read 6 June, 1842.] 



I BEG leave to lay before the Entomological Society an account 

 of a very destructive Lepidopterous insect, which has committed 

 great ravages in the cotton plantations at Broach, in Western 

 India. Cotton being of so great importance in a commercial 

 point of view to our East India possessions, I thought any infor- 

 mation relative to the insects which blight the hopes of the cul- 

 tivator, would be interesting both to the Society and those 

 concerned in the cultivation of the plant. 



I am indebted to my friend Dr. Royle for permission to exa- 

 amine and describe this insect, he having received the specimens 

 from Dr. Barn, Superintendent of the Government Cotton Plan- 

 tations at Broach, with an account of the transformations of the 

 insect. 



The following is an extract of the letter which accompanied 

 the specimens. — " The inclosed is an insect which was very de- 

 structive to the American cotton which was sown here (Broach), 

 on light alluvial soil. The egg is deposited in the germen at the 

 time of flowering, and the larva feeds upon the cotton seed until 

 the pod is about to burst, a little previous to which time it has 

 opened a round hole in the side of the pod for air, and at which 

 to make an exit at its own convenience, dropping on the ground, 

 which it penetrates about an inch, and winds a thin web in which 

 it remains during the aurelia state. Curious enough, the cotton 

 on the black soil was not touched by it. The native cotton is 

 sometimes affected by it." 



The materials 1 have had to work upon in making this communi- 

 cation are not very satisfactory, the specimens being much broken 

 and rubbed ; hence the description must be only taken as the 

 nearest approximation to the truth which I am able to give. The 

 description of the insect, which belongs to the family Tineidce, 

 genus Deprcssaria, as far as I can gain from the specimens, is as 

 follows, and as I can find no species of the above family described 

 as being destructive to the cotton plant, I shall treat the species 

 under consideration as a new one, giving it the specific appellation 

 of Gossyinella. 



The species is nearly allied to D. applana. 



