12 Indian Insect Pests, [Vol. I. 



common butterfly of the Indo-Malayan region belonging to the family 

 Lyc(Rnid(B. The second report above referred to consists of a letter from 

 Mr. Greeu, dated 21st November, 1888, addressed to Mr. E. C. Cotes, of 

 the Indian Museum, Calcutta, enclosing drawings of the larva and carda- 

 mom fruit (reproduced on Plate I), and a letter to the writer, dated 23rd 

 December, 1888. He writes— 



" It is a curious thing that, although the damage causer! by the larva of this insect is 

 so general, it was only after a long time and much trouble that I caught the criminal 

 red-handed. I had for some time suspected this pretty little butterfly, as it haunts 

 the cardamom clearings in large numbers. Other planters seem to have been equally 

 unsuccessful in determining the cause of the damage. My drawing was made from a 

 single specimen found in situ in the cardamom capsule. I unfortunately neglected to 

 make a drawing of the pupa. The larva was full-fed at the time [of capture], and 

 pupated almost immediately upon the side of the box in which it was confined. Since 

 then I have failed in obtaining other specimens. This is probably because the insects 

 are all now on the wing ; the larval state, no doubt, occurs earlier in the year during 

 the growth of the young fruit. At the time of the cardamom harvest, when one's atten- 

 tion is more especially drawn to the damage, the insects have all vacated [the cap- 

 sules], and are possibly lying as pupse among st the shrivelled leaves and stalks. When 

 the next fruiting season commences, I intea d to make a very careful search for the 

 eggs and larva, and, if successful, will send you a series for examination. I do not think 

 the larva attracts ants, or I should have noticed the ants frequenting the cardamom 

 stools. In drawing the larva I did not notice any secretive gland or retractile tentacles* 

 As regards the food of L. elpis, its natural food-plant is, no doubt, one or more of the 

 allied Scitaminece, which abound in all Ceylon jungles — Curcuma^ Amomum, &c." 



With regard to Mr. Greenes remarks about ants, they are in reply to 

 my questions on the subject. Many larvae of the Lycmnidcey including an 

 allied species, Lampides celianus, Fabricius, have two retractile tentacles 

 on the twelfth segment, and a gland on the dorsal line of the eleventh seg- 

 ment, which latter, at the will of the larva, gives off a sweet liquid, of which 

 ants are extremely fond ; in consequence of this many species of Lyccenida^ 

 which possess this gland are most carefully tended and guarded by ants, 

 who appear to make " cows '* of them, much in the same way as they 

 utilise AphidcBj CoccidtB, &c. Mr. Green also notes that " Ordinarily from 

 5 to 10 per cent, of the fruit capsules are perforated by this insect.''^ 



This pest is a butterfly of the genus Lampides, of the family Lycce^ 

 nidcBj of the sub-order Rhopalocera, of the order 

 the^inleft!^^ ^°''*'°'' ""^ ^^^^doptera. The genus is a purely tropical and sub- 

 tropical oriental one, and occurs almost through- 

 out India, in Ceylon, in the Andaman and Nicobar Isles, in Burma and 

 in the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago. The male butterfly is of a 

 very beautiful, pale metallic azure-blue on the upper side, with a narrow 

 black border to both wings ; the hind wing has sometimes a series of bjack 

 marginal spots, and there is always a short black white-tipped filamen- 

 tous tail-like process to each hind wing near the anal angle. The female is 

 pale dull (not metallic) bluish-white on the upper side, the outer black 

 margins much broader, and the black spots on the margin of the hind 



