678 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENT0M0L0C4ICAL MEETING 



On the fruits. 

 Platyptilia, Lobesia spp., Eublemma spp., Zizera gaika (a butterfij 

 larva ; taken only once) ; several bugs {PImitia, Halymnor'pJia, 

 Antestia, Nezara, etc., and several Capsids), 



On the leaves. 

 Several species of hairy caterpillars (Diacrisia, Pericallia, Creato- 

 notus, Trahala, Olene) Hypena sp., two or three leaf -rollers 

 {Adoxophyes, etc.), two Geometrids, several Grasshoppers, two 

 Scale-insects and an Aleiirodes. 



On the stems. 

 ArbeJa sp., attacking the bark, a Shot-hole borer, Scale-insects, 

 etc. {Orthezia in an Estate on the Nilgiris), a bark-fungus in 

 South India. 



Roots. 



Termites in a few instances, and a fungus of the Polyponis type. 



In addition, a species of Dodder has been noted attacking Lantana 

 in some of the moist areas as at Kathgodam,.Dehra Dun, parts of Burma,, 

 etc. 



Thus a fairly large number of insects has been noted on Lantana,. 

 especially in the South. Of these Platyptilia (the Plume-moth) is the 

 only one of the Mexican insects that is already found here. It breeds 

 also in Lantana indica and Lippia geminata, but owing to the occurrence 

 of parasites, its usefulness is considerably minimized. The most 

 important of the Mexican insects is undoubtedly the Agromyzid fly. 

 No insect of that sort has yet been noticed in India breeding in the 

 fruits and it is very unlikely that it will be found in India. Caterpillars 

 of the Plume-moth and Lobesia sometimes attack the fruits too, but 

 generally in most of these cases the embryos which are lodged in special 

 pockets of the hard shell are uninjured. The Cecidomyiad, which 

 causes galls in fruits, is, even when it occurs in maximum abundance, 

 of low efficiency and it is probable that it is identical with the gall-fly 

 in Sesamum, which renders it a dangerous insect to introduce elsewhere.* 



So far as my observations go, there is no insect which is 

 really efficient by itself in acting as a check on Lantana. The fly does 

 not seem to occur here. Under these circumstances, the next question 

 probably is whether we can safely import it into India. We know it 

 has been breeding in Hawaii since 1902. If the Agromyzid had been 

 an insect capable of turning its attention to other plants, it has surely 



♦ Note. Dr. Felt has since infornied us that the gall-flies in Lantana and Sesamum- 

 are quite distinct. — Editor. 



