288 p. A. BUXTON. 



I am indebted to Prof. K. Newstead, Mr. E. E. Green, Mr. G. J. Arrow and 

 Mr. J. H. Durrant for much help most kindly given, and to the staff of the Imperial 

 Bureau of Entomology, who have always assisted me in every possible way. 



LEPIDOPTERA. 

 Family Hesperiidae. 

 Padraona palmarum, Moore. 



This butterfly is recorded by Stebbing from leaves of date palms at Calcutta. 



Family PYRALIDAE. 

 Subfamily Phycitinae (= Anerastiinae). 

 Myelois phoenicis, Durrant. 



This species was described by Durrant (1915) from a specimen bred by Lord 

 Walsingham in 1904 at Hammam-es-Salahin, Constantin, Algeria. The larva was 

 found in dates. The species has since been found in England and France in im- 

 ported dates, and as Durrant remarks, " may be widely spread by commerce." 



Plodia interpunctella, Hb. 



According to Popenoe the Indian meal moth is a serious pest of stored dates 

 in Arizona. This is the only record I have found of this omnivorous and very widely 

 distributed species attacking dates. 



Spermatophora hornigii, Lederer. 



Moths which I bred at Basra in September 1917, and Baghdad in September 

 1918, from larvae found in August feeding in wind-fall dates, have been identified 

 by Lord Rothschild as this species. He informs me that Lederer's original speci- 

 mens also came from dates, but I have been unable to consult the original reference. 

 The species appeared to be quite common in Mesopotamia, but was in no sense 

 a pest. " 



Ephestia calidella, Guenee. 



Gough (1917) mentions that in Egypt the larvae of this species sometimes attack 

 living dates on the tree, and bore into them through the rind. These larvae spin 

 silk at all times in their life-history, and lower themselves on a silken thread when 

 they are alarmed. In these respects the habits of this insect differ from those 

 of the Ephestia in the Khargeh oasis. This species occurs at Baghdad and Amara, 

 but I have no evidence that it is a pest. 



Ephestia cautella, Walk. (Ephestia passulella, Barrett.) 



This species is a common warehouse pest in Basra, and probably throughout 

 Mesopotamia. The larvae also enter windfall dates in the gardens in Baghdad, 

 Amara, and Basra, passing into the fruit at the point at which it has become 

 detached from the perianth. These windfall dates are frequently harvested by the 

 less well-to-do, who in this way infect and reinfect their stores and godowns with 

 E. cautella. It is a common thing to see masses of dates which have been riddled 

 by this and other Pyralid moths exposed for sale in the bazaars ; these spoilt dates 

 are bought for feeding domestic animals. 



