COTTON 433 



APPENDIX II. 



NOTE ON RHOGAS KITCHENERI, DUDGEON AND 

 GOUGH. 



By L. H. GOUGH, Ph.D., F.E.S. 



Chief 'j Entomological Section, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. 



The following- observations have been made on Rhogas 

 Kitchencri, Dudgeon and Gough. 



Rhogas Kitcheneri attacks the larvae of more than one 

 species of moth, the usual Egyptian hosts being Earias 

 insulana and Ephestia cautella, the common link of which 

 is that the larvae live inside fruits, such as cotton bolls, 

 dates, etc. 



More than one larva develops in each attacked cater- 

 pillar, as many as eleven having been noted in one case. 

 The host becomes moribund at least one or two weeks 

 before the Rhogas larvae leave it to pupate. In the 

 specimens observed the Rhogas larvae have wandered a 

 few millimetres away from their dead host, and then 

 spun themselves grey, egg-shaped, silken cocoons. The 

 greatest distance wandered before pupation has been 

 ij cm. 



The Rhogas hatched (in winter in Egypt) about a 

 month to five weeks after pupation, and the insects from 

 one batch hatched on several successive days. The pro- 

 portion of females to males is occasionally excessive, in 

 one case it was eight females to three males. Copula- 

 tion took place immediately after expanding and was 

 repeatedly performed. 



The adults are rather easily kept alive if fed. Some 

 placed in a Petri dish and fed with wetted lump sugar 

 lived from January 21, 1915, to February 27, 1915, being 

 active at the time of writing. Another lived from 

 January 17, 1915, to February 23, 1915, when it was 

 required as a specimen and killed. Egg-laying has not 

 yet been observed, and in consequence the time required 

 for the larvae to develop and the age of the victims 

 selected are not known. 



