usually do their work of destruction at night, living in day- 

 time hidden in the earth, The following Noctues moths are 

 of special agricultural interest : (a) Achaea melicerte, a 

 greyish moth, with dark-brown hind-wings, marked with 

 greyish white streaks The caterpillars defoliate brinjals, 

 paddy, sugar-cane, cajanus indicus. castor-oil plant &c. (b) 

 Heliothes armigera (called variously leda-poka, kajrd> lurked, 

 is a small greyish moth, with dusky-brown hind-wings 

 (Fig. 67 c). The caterpillars are known to be destructive 

 to paddy, hemp (cannabis sativa), poppy, khesari, Dolichos 

 lablab and other pulses, and rabi crops generally, and 

 to immature bolls of cotton. (c) Leucania extrania and 

 other Leucanidae, the caterpillars of which are destructive 

 to young paddy plants, oats and peas. Leucania loreyi 

 (Fig. 67 e) has been found very destructive to paddy plants. 

 (d) Laphygma exigua (Fig. 67 f) attacks lentil plants, (e) 

 Agrotis suffusa (Fig. 67 d) and (/) Ochropleura flammatra 

 both attack opium plants in the same way. (3) Geometres 

 or loopers are long, slender, smooth caterpillars which 

 hump up the middle of the body into a loop in progressing. 

 Their moths are slender-built creatures with large 

 .wings and comb-like antennae. Some of these are 

 known to be destructive to tea and coffee bushes. (4) Dragana 

 pansalis a small moth which is injurious to sugar-cane. (5) 

 Chilo simplex. (6) Paraponyx oryzalis, the caterpillars of 

 which are aquatic in their habits and attack paddy plants. 

 (7) The Majra-poka (Chilo Oryzaeellus) which tunnel into 

 the green stalks of paddy and wheat. (8) Sphenarches caffer, 

 a minute plume moth the caterpillars of which tunnel into 

 the pods of popat bean (Dolichos lablab) in Nagpur. (9) 

 Depressaria gossypiella, the caterpillar of a minute moth 

 which tunnels into cotton bolls. (10) Gelechia cerealella, 

 the caterpillar of a minute moth which is destructive to stored 

 maize, (u) Tinea pellionella, the caterpillar of this moth 

 is a minute creature that protects itself in a case. It is very 



