28 The Tea insects of India. 



the leaf togefcber, so as to form a shelter in which it lives for the remainder of its larval 

 life, feeding upon the suhstance of the leaf. When full fed, it is ahout three-eighths of an 

 inch in length, and yellowish or greenish in colour, "with a few short bristles scattered 

 over its body, , The chrysalis is formed in a flat silken cocoon on tlie leaf, the pupal stage 

 lasting about two weeks. The caterpillar is attacked by minute Ichueumonidsa, besides 

 being often drowned in wet weather by the water that accumulates in the rolled-up 

 leaf." 



Pandemis (? Capua) menciana, Walker {^Caccecia sp., 

 Green). The caterpillar of this minute moth has been recorded by Green 

 as doing a good deal o£ damage in Ceylon tea gardens. It has not yet 

 been authoritatively recorded from India, but Bamber notices the pres- 

 ence of an insect which may perhaps belong to the same species. 



According to Green's observations, as published in the Ceylon 

 Independent, the caterpillar, which is a yellowish creature, when full 

 grown about three quarters of an inch in length, feeds upon the young 

 leaves. It twists up the leaves and spins them together with a silken 

 web, thus rendering the shoots unsuitable for tea-making. When full 

 grown, the caterpillar transforms into a chrysalis in a silken shelter 

 which it spins for itself between two leaves. From the chrysalis emerges 

 a minute brownish moth with the bell-shaped wings characteristic of 

 the group Tortrices. 



DIPTERA. 



Oscinis these, Bigot, MS. — {=-Agromyza (?) sp., Green). This 

 minute two-winged fly was discovered by Mr. E. E. Green, who tiaced it 

 through its various stages of development in Ceylon, where its larva 

 mines the leaf of the tea bush. It is not known to have done any appre- 

 ciable damage in Ceylon and has not yet been recorded from India. 



According to Mr. Green's observations, as recorded in the pages of 

 the Ceylon Independent ^ the egg is laid upon the leaf. The larva, 

 a minute yellowish maggot, burrows into the tissue of the leaf, leaving 

 a sinuous tunnel easily visible from the exterior. When full grown, it 

 pupates at the end of its tunnel, and emerges after a few days in the 

 form of the adult fly. Mr. Green notices that the insect is subject to 

 the attack of a minute hymenopterous parasite. 



RHYNCHOTA. 



GAPSIDiE, 



Helopeltis theivora, Waterhouse— ( = ^. tkeiovora, Moore, as 

 quoted by Wood-Mason). This insect does a great deal of damgae to 

 tea. It chiefly attacks the tender leaves which are the ones used in tea- 

 making, and as it a:Kects wide areas, it is a formidable enemy to the tea 

 trade. When full grown, it has much superficial resemblance to the 



