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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOUKTII 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  occasionally 
  sugarcane. 
  The 
  photograph, 
  reproduced 
  as 
  fig. 
  69 
  of 
  

   South 
  Indian 
  Insects, 
  records 
  its 
  occurrence 
  on 
  sugarcane 
  at 
  Coimbatore 
  

   in 
  October 
  1913 
  and 
  shows 
  the 
  characteristic 
  chewing 
  of 
  the 
  beetle. 
  

   They 
  may 
  occasionally 
  be 
  expected 
  on 
  thick 
  varieties 
  of 
  sugarcane 
  

   but 
  will 
  probably 
  never 
  prove 
  a 
  regular 
  pest 
  of 
  this 
  crop. 
  [This 
  insect 
  

   has, 
  however, 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  Malay 
  States 
  as 
  a 
  pest 
  of 
  sugarcane. 
  

   T. 
  B. 
  F.] 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  known 
  this 
  insect 
  passes 
  through 
  a 
  single 
  generation 
  

   in 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  egg 
  and 
  pupal 
  stages 
  are 
  short, 
  lasting 
  only 
  for 
  about 
  

   one-and-a-half 
  to 
  two 
  weeks, 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  cycle 
  being 
  passed 
  

   in 
  larval 
  state. 
  Adult 
  beetles 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  from 
  different 
  localities 
  

   from 
  about 
  June 
  to 
  December 
  or 
  even 
  January. 
  Beetles 
  emerged 
  

   in 
  the 
  Pusa 
  Insectary 
  from 
  grubs 
  collected 
  from 
  outside 
  between 
  May 
  

   and 
  August. 
  May 
  to 
  August 
  probably 
  represents 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  emergence 
  

   of 
  the 
  adults 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  live 
  for 
  long 
  periods 
  under 
  favour- 
  

   able 
  conditions 
  and 
  are 
  therefore 
  reported 
  to 
  occur 
  even 
  in 
  December 
  

   or 
  January. 
  Variations 
  apparently 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  lifehistory 
  according 
  

   to 
  varying 
  conditions 
  of 
  different 
  localities. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  whether 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  definite 
  period 
  of 
  oviposition 
  or 
  whether 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  period 
  the 
  adults 
  live. 
  

  

  Ajpogonia 
  proxima, 
  Waterh. 
  

  

  A 
  pupa 
  and 
  many 
  adults 
  were 
  collected 
  at 
  Pusa 
  among 
  Sacchanim 
  

   spontaneum 
  roots 
  in 
  September. 
  The 
  pupa 
  was 
  collected 
  on 
  the 
  5th 
  

   September 
  and 
  the 
  beetle 
  emerged 
  from 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  10th 
  September. 
  

  

  In 
  July, 
  that 
  is, 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  rains, 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  of 
  this 
  beetle 
  are 
  observed 
  at 
  Pusa 
  to 
  come 
  out 
  at 
  dusk 
  and 
  

   eat 
  tender 
  leaves 
  of 
  Ficus 
  religiosa, 
  Vitis 
  trifolia, 
  Capparis 
  sp., 
  and 
  

   other 
  plants. 
  They 
  sit 
  in 
  clusters 
  or 
  rather 
  hang 
  on 
  leaves. 
  Males 
  

   come 
  and 
  mate 
  while 
  females 
  continue 
  eating. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  July 
  1914. 
  In 
  confinement 
  

   they 
  ate 
  leaves 
  and 
  laid 
  eggs 
  freely, 
  which 
  hatched 
  in 
  a 
  week. 
  The 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  about 
  1-5 
  mm. 
  in 
  diametre, 
  round 
  with 
  a 
  smooth 
  surface 
  and 
  

   creamy 
  white 
  in 
  colour 
  which 
  turns 
  brownish 
  before 
  hatching 
  M'hen 
  

   the 
  powerful 
  brown 
  mandibles 
  of 
  the 
  embryo 
  are 
  visible 
  through 
  the 
  

   shell. 
  Attempts 
  at 
  rearing 
  the 
  larvae 
  failed. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  beetle 
  passes 
  through 
  only 
  one 
  generation 
  in 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  Apparently 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  early 
  summer 
  are 
  

   passed 
  in 
  larval 
  state. 
  

  

  