254 MR. R. SHBLFORD ON MIMETIC INSECTS AXD [NoV. 4, 



Unfortunately I was unable to test the efficacy of tlie disguise 

 for fear of losing the larva, which I was anxious to rear for the 

 purpose of identification. 



ii. Mimic. Larva of a Noctuid Moth (? Genus Tinolius). 

 Model. An Ant, (Ecoj^hylla smaragdina (Fab.). 



In Jan. 1900 a curious Noctuid larva of the subfamily Quadri- 

 Jince was pointed out to me by Mr. H. N. Ridley in the Botanic 

 Gardens, Singapore, resting on a leaf of a tree much frequented 

 by the common red ant (Ecopliylla smaragdina. 



Nearly all the segments of the body are furnished with fragile 

 tentacle-like processes which are capable of quivering movements, 

 and so loosely attached that very careful handling was necessary 

 to secure a perfect specimen. 



The arrangement of these tentacles is as follows : — 



3 pairs: 1 pair lateral, 2 pairs dorsal pointing 



foi'wai-ds. 

 3 pairs : 1 pair lateral, 1 pair sub-lateral, 1 pair 



dorsal. 

 2 pairs latei'al. 

 Unprovided with tentacles. 

 Each with 1 latei'al pair, 

 2 lateral pairs. 



1 latei'al pair. 



2 lateral pairs, the most anterior being very delicate, 

 the most posterior strong and curved backwards. 



Segment 8 is dorsally produced into a sharp-edged prominence. 

 The anal prolegs are somewhat disproportionately large and can be 

 widely divaricated ; just above each is a, prominent black spot : 

 the colour of the body is brown of the exact shade of the 

 CEcojihylla, with a narrow yellow line on each side. When 

 the larva is irritated, the posterior part of the body is immediately 

 reared in the air, the anal prolegs are thrown widely apart and 

 the tentacles, especially the most posterior pair, are violently 

 ao-itated. When the caterpillar is seen in an end-on position or 

 when the anterior two-thirds of the body are hidden, the resemblance 

 to the ant is positively startling : the black eye-spots represent 

 the eyes, the widely-diverging anal prolegs, the gaping jaws and 

 the tentacles, - the antennse and legs of the model ; the posterior 

 pair of tentacles are so curved that they represent very accurately 

 the elbowed antennse of the ant. 



It might be thought essential, in cases of mimetic lepidopterous 

 larvfe such as the two examples just described, that the greater 

 part of the body should be concealed in order perfectly to deceive 

 prospective enemies : for example, in the sphinx-moth larva it is 

 only the head of the snake that is copied, but is it necessary for 

 the larva, in order to obtain immunity, that it should conceal its 

 disproportionate shortness of body, thus arguing for it a degree 



