THE LARGER MOTH BORER (Castnia licus, Drury). 

 Lepidoptera. 



The eggs of the larger moth borer are elongate and 

 pointed at both ends. The surface is marked with five or 

 six longitudinal ridges. They are laid inside the leaf base 

 near the ground, or on the ground among the canes. The 

 larvae, on hatching, tunnel into the stem, and work upwards 

 for a distance of some 2 feet, when they turn and go 

 down through the same tunnel into the underground portion 

 of the cane stool. The larva reaches a size of 2 J inches in 

 length, and J-inch in diameter. The tunnel is consequently 

 large, and the injury to the cane very severe. The pupal 

 stage is passed in the cane, or in the soil near the 

 underground portions. The time occupied in the life-cycle 

 ranges from twelve to fifteen weeks. The adult insect 



Fig. 65. Larger moth borer of the sugar-cane. 

 Reduced. (Original.) 



general 



(Fig. 65) is a large day-flying moth, which in 

 appearance is very similar to the large butterflies. 



Castnia licus is a native of South America. Its 

 original food plants were species of the Orchid family and 

 of the family of plants to which the pine-apple belongs 

 (Bromeliaceae). It is distributed over a large portion of 

 the northern part of South America, and extends north- 

 ward to Mexico ; it has been known in Trinidad for several 



