68 Indian Museniu Notes, [ Vol. Ill 



THS SILK-COTTON POD MOTH. 

 By F. Mooue, F.Z.S. 



[This insect was reared in the Museum from silk-cotton pods furnished by Mr. R. 

 Elechynden of the Agri-Horticultural Society. The pods were found to be tunnelled 

 by the caterpillars. They were received in the latter part of the cold weather, about 

 the time that the silk-cotton pods ripen in Calcutta. Mr. Blechynden noticed that the 

 crows paid a good deal of attention to the fallen pods, no doubt with a view of devour, 

 ing the caterpillars they contained, and the extraordinary speed with which the cater- 

 jDillars tunnelled into the earth when the pods were opened shows that they appreciate 

 the fact that the crows are on the look-out to eat them up. The caterpillars construc- 

 ted for themselves typical noctues cells of earth in the ground, for the pi-otection of 

 the pupse, and the moths emerged in the following March, when the silk-eotton trees 

 (? Sombax malaharicam) were in flower on the Calcutta Maidan. The insect therefore 

 passes through but one generation in the year, and probably lays its eggs in the 

 flowers or immature pods of the silk-cotton tree. The fij;ure shows (he male and 

 female moths, and the pupa lying in the earthen cell that the caterpillar makes in the 

 ground ; all natural size. — Ed.] 



Famil// Haclenidm. 



Genus Nov. Miiclaria — Male. — Forewioig eloiifyata, narrow, apex 

 rounded; exterior margin oblique and slightly convex ; cilia scalloped; 

 cell long", more than half the leng'th of wing ; first sub-costal branch 

 emitted at three-fifths before end of the cell, second branch from close 

 to end of cell; third from end of cell, trifid, the si.s.th (or upper radial) 

 also from end of cell ; discocellular very slender, outwardly recurved, 

 the radial from near its lower end ; two upper median branches from 

 angles at lower end of the cell, the lower median at three-fifths before 

 end of the cell; sub-median vein recurved. Uind-iving moderately short, 

 apex rounded, exterior margin slightly convex, and very slightly scal- 

 loped ; cell extending to half the length, broad ; sub-costal vein curved 

 near its base and touching the costal ; two sub-costal branches emitted 

 from end of the cell ; discocellular outwardly oblique, radial from near 

 its lower end; two upper median branches from a footstalk a little 

 beyond end of the cell, lower median at about one-third before end of 

 the cell ; sub-median and internal vein straight. Budi/ stout, abdomen 

 extending beyond hind-wings, compactly scaled, thorax sub-crested at 

 posterior end. ^?2i5e?e«(« thick, vsrhip-shaped ; /^ea^ prominent, the front 

 furnished with a broad flat centrally-pointed black hard corneous piece, 

 which projects slightly but visibly beyond the scales. Faljii short 

 stout, porreet, not reaching the front, compactly squamose, third joint 

 short, cylindrical, narrower than lovirer joints. Legs stout; fore-legs 

 short ; femora thickly clothed with long hairy scales ; hind tibia with 

 two pairs of prominent spurs. Female. — Antenme as in male. Frontal 

 corneous piece broader and projecting more promiuenlly beyond the 



