rROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 439 



should have gone ordinarily to the maturing of the plant. In the case 

 of the worst infested fields as many as 167 adults and nymphs were found 

 to feed on a single leaf. Unlike the adults, the nymphs are not attracted 

 to the hght. 



The nymphs before maturing into adults pass through five moults. 

 At the time of moulting the rostrum is so firmly embedded in the tissues 

 of the leaves or the stems, that if the exuvia are lifted with a teaser, 

 the rostral setse break off and remain embedded in the tissues. After- 

 passing through five moults the adults appear on the leaves and are 

 then represented by two species. The characteristic differences between 

 the two species are : — 



Nephotettix bipunctatus, Fabr. (Fauna of British India, RhyncJwta, 

 Vol. IV, p. 359, fig. 228). Yellowish brown, shining, smooth, face (except 

 the lateral margins) and a spot on each side of clypeus black ; tegmina 

 with a spot before the middle and the apical two-fifths black ; lateral 

 spots to sternum and abdomen black. The female is usually without 

 the discal black spot to the tegmina and with the face as described for 

 the varietal male. 



Nephotettix apicalis, Motsch. [Fauna of British India, Rhynchota, 

 Vol. IV, pp. 360-361, fig. 229). Yellowish virescent, smooth, shining ; 

 face, anterior subimpressed transverse line on vertex between anterior 

 margins of eyes, anterior margin of pronotum, scutellar and commissural 

 margins of clavus, a spot before the middle extending to the claval 

 suture and there acutely produced hindward, apical third of tegmina, 

 sternum, abdomen, greater part of the femora, anterior tibise and the 

 tarsi black ; the posterior tibiae at the bases of the spinules spotted with 

 black ; ventral incisures flavescent. 



N. apicalis is closely alUed to N. bipunctatus, but differs in having 

 the head shorter and more obtuse, anteriorly obtusely rounded and by 

 the marking of same. Head as broad as pronotum, but somewhat 

 shorter, vertex a little longer in the middle than at the eyes, scarcely 

 twice as broad between eyes as long, anteriorly within the margin trans- 

 versely impressed. 



In plain language, the females in both the species are unspotted. 

 They are pale green in colour, with a strong, brownish ovipositor with 

 which they laterate the tissues of the leaves and deposit the eggs. The 

 males in both the species are black, one has two black prominent spots 

 on the wings, in the other there are two oblique black lines. There is 

 very little difference between the females of both the species. The adults, 

 both males and females, remain on the lower surface of leaves mostly 

 near the midribs sucking the juice during the hottest part of the day. 

 At dusk they become active and fly from plant to plant. While feeding 



