XXV. Some Remarkable Ant-friend Lepidoptera of Queens- 
land. By F.P. Dopp, F.E.S. With Supplement, 
by E. Meyrick, B.A., F.R.S. 
{Read June 7th, 1911. ] 
Puate XLVIII. 
THESE three species of stout, greasy, and sober-coloured 
moths are scarcely likely to attract the attention of an 
entomologist, who, unless he knew something of their 
histories, would perhaps regard them as rather uninter- 
esting insects; however, their life histories are most 
extraordinary, and I consider myself extremely fortunate 
in having, to a great extent, worked them out, so it is 
with much pleasure that I now impart the information 
acquired. ‘Though the histories of two of the species are 
incomplete I think that we can fairly correctly surmise 
much that has not yet been actually learnt. 
The moths have been bred out by me, from cocoons 
taken in the bush during the past three years or longer; 
quite early I found what proved to be a larva of the 
largest species, thus establishing the connection between 
it and the cocoon and moth. My remarks are now solely 
confined to this one species, Cyclotorna monocentra, Meyr. 
Finding that the cocoons were invariably in the vicinity 
of the nests of the well-known Australian mound ant, 
Iridomyrmex purpureus, and that the supply did not 
decrease in the hottest and most droughty periods, when 
no food for the caterpillars seemed available anywhere 
near the ground, I suspected that they were ant-associates 
and to be found in the nests of those insects, therefore 
I broke down or dug up many of the termite mounds 
which these and other ants take possession of for homes, 
and at last to my satisfaction found several of the strange 
and handsome caterpillars. Later on in the year others were 
dug out, and as they were always in the chambers con- 
taining ant grubs, it was a simple matter to ascertain that 
the grubs were preyed upon by the caterpillars. During 
the past twelve months I have obtained from one nest 
seventy caterpillars, and from another about fifty, but 
TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1911.—PART III. (JAN.) 
