138 Indian Museum Notes. [Vol. V. 



4. Leucania sp. Family Noctuidse, Sub-order Phalsense% Order 

 Lepidoptera. Plate xii, Figs. 7 and 8, imago, 8 a, pupa. 



In " Indian Museum Notes/'' vol. i, p. 51 (1889), Leucania loreyi, 

 Dup., is reported to have done great damage to the rice crop in the 

 Sambalpur district of the Central Provinces, causing a loss of about 

 one-eighth of the crop in some places. It is known locally as 

 " haripok." This insect is referred to in vol. ii, n. 6, p. 160, n. 124 

 (1883) as " harnipok." The moth is figured in vol. iii, n. 6 (1896). 

 The moth has a wide range in Europe and throughout India, Burma 

 and Ceylon. 



In " Indian Museum Notes," vol. ii, p. 5 (1891), Leucania extranea, 

 Guenee, it is recorded that three different officers in the Rangpur 

 District of Bengal reported " great," u immense," and u extensive " 

 injury in November and December, 1890, to the paddy crops, by 

 cutting off the unripe ears from the stalks. In the same vol., n.6, p. 160, 

 n. 123 (1893), this moth is reported to be doing much damage in 

 Bengal by biting off young paddy, by eating ornamental oats (Avena 

 sp., Natural Order Graminese) in Calcutta, and attacking the 

 pea {Pisum sativum, Linn., Natural Order Leguminosds) in Patna. 

 It is figured in vol. iii, n. 3, p. 135 (1896), larva, pupa, and moth. In 

 vol. iii, n. 5, p. 62 (1896), the notorious " leda poka " caterpillar, 

 which attacks paddy, was received in the Museum from Backerganj, 

 Bengal. They were bred and two species of Leucania emerged, one 

 L. extranea, Guenee, the other smaller and differently marked. A 

 dipterous parasite of the family Tachinidse, Masicera castanea, van 

 der Wulp, is recorded in vol. iii, n. 5, p. 12, n. 5, pi. 1, fig. 3 (1896), 

 as having been bred from the larva of L. extranea from Patna. 

 This parasite is again referred to in the same volume and part, p. 42, 

 and in vol. iv, n. 4, p. 219, n. 11 (1899). Lastly, in vol. iv, n. 4, 

 p. 191, n./. (1899), the same process block that appeared in vol. iii, 

 n. 3, p. 135, is reproduced. The name is changed toZ,. unipuncta, Haw., 

 which is older than L. extranea. It is said to be doing an enormous 

 amount of damage to the " jowari " crop {Andropogon Sorghum, 

 Brot., Natural Order Graminese) in the district of Poona in the 

 Bombay Presidency. Sir George Hampson notes that the moth is 

 " universally distributed/' occurring all over the world. 



In October, 1900, in Calcutta, the larva of a species of Leucania 

 which appears to be nearest toZ. homoptcrana, Swinhoe (Trans. Ent. 

 Soc. Lond., 1890, p. 219, n. 294, pi, vii, fig. 12) was found feeding on 

 paddy leaves and reared in the Museum. The chrysalis is surrounded 

 by a slight cocoon formed by drawing some of the paddy leaves 

 together. The moth itself has a remarkable resemblance to the dried 



