FAMILY CHRYSOMELIDAE 265 



The larvae were feeding upon the willow-leaves. On several occa- 

 sions I have found the larvae upon this willow in Jaunsar, and I have 

 been able to corroborate Mr. Rogers's observations. 



Mascicera ? sp. Out of fifty-one larvae and pupae six were found to be 

 parasitized by a dipterous grub. This grub pupates inside the body of the 



chrysomelid larva. From the dipterous pupae flies 



Parasitic Insect. emerged on 30 July. The specimens sent to the 



Indian Museum were, however, said to be in too 



poor a state of preservation for identification. It was thought that they 

 were possibly species of the well-known parasitic genus Mascicera. 



It is an observation of high value that Mr. Rogers should have bred 

 out the fly from its host. 



CRYPTOSTOMES. 

 Head bent downwards ; antennae inserted close together on head. 



PLATYPRIA. 

 Platypria andrewesi, Ws. 



REFERENCES. Ws. Deutsche Ent. Zeitschr. p. 404 (1906) ; Lefroy, Ind. Ins. Life, 364 (1909). 



Habitat. Plains of India. 



Tree Attacked. --Ber (Zizyphm jujuba). Pusa ? (Lefroy). 



Beetle. A broad squarish beetle; the sides of the pro thorax' and elytra produced into 

 processes of varying length, the apical edges of the elytra being serrate. The elytra are very 

 broad, with a series of longitudinal parallel ridges elevated at points into sharp teeth. 



Larva." Flat, the head large and hard, with short antennae and a lateral cluster of 

 ocelli ; the prothorax bears a dorsal and a ventral shield ; the segments are produced laterally 

 and bear a terminal backwardly-curved process ; the spiracles are on the dorsum ; the legs are 

 well developed, and the larva runs actively ; the abdomen terminates in a llat chitinous pl.iu- 

 with a lateral process, the anus being ventral. It pupates in a special pocket in the leaf." 



Pupa. "The pupa is similar, but the fourth abdominal segment is drawn out laterally 

 into a strong backwardly-directed process on the dorsum." (Description after Lefroy.) 



This is one of the leaf-mining Chrysomelidae, the egg being laid in the 



tissues of the leaf and the grub mining in the KM! 



Life History. parenchyma. In the case of this insect, according to 



Lefroy, the larva "does not remain in one mine, but 



moves about, eating into the leaf, eating out a kind of pocket, and then 

 emerging to commence a fresh pocket." 



