﻿67 
  

  

  Fletcher 
  (T. 
  B.). 
  Note 
  on 
  Insects 
  Attacking 
  the 
  Paddy 
  Plant 
  in 
  

   Southern 
  India. 
  — 
  Madras 
  Dept. 
  Agric. 
  Bull., 
  Madras, 
  iii, 
  no. 
  67, 
  

   8th 
  Apr. 
  1913, 
  10 
  pp., 
  10 
  figs., 
  2 
  pis. 
  

  

  Orthoptera 
  -.^Hieroglyphus 
  banian, 
  F., 
  occurs 
  in 
  all 
  rice-growing 
  

   tracts 
  throughout 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Southern 
  India. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  

   masses 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  usually 
  between 
  October 
  and 
  December, 
  the 
  

   young 
  emerge 
  about 
  June, 
  and 
  become 
  mature 
  in 
  about 
  70 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  males, 
  or 
  80 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  females. 
  This 
  insect 
  feeds 
  on 
  

   paddy, 
  sugar-cane 
  and 
  maize, 
  but 
  chiefly 
  on 
  paddy, 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   major 
  pest, 
  doing 
  serious 
  damage, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  and 
  hopper 
  stages. 
  

   The 
  best 
  remedial 
  measure 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  catching 
  in 
  small 
  bag- 
  

   nets 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  hoppers 
  soon 
  after 
  they 
  have 
  hatched 
  out. 
  Oxya 
  

   velox, 
  F., 
  is 
  a 
  smaller 
  grasshopper 
  than 
  H. 
  banian, 
  and 
  its 
  life-history 
  

   is 
  not 
  known 
  in 
  detail. 
  It 
  feeds 
  on 
  paddy, 
  cholam, 
  sugar-cane, 
  etc., 
  

   and 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  minor 
  pest 
  of 
  paddy. 
  It 
  is 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  

   H. 
  banian, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  controlled 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  by 
  sweeping 
  in 
  

   bag-nets. 
  The 
  adult 
  grasshopper 
  is 
  sometimes 
  attracted 
  to 
  lights 
  at 
  

   night, 
  and 
  trial 
  of 
  light-traps 
  is 
  indicated 
  in 
  cases 
  where 
  damage 
  is 
  

   being 
  done. 
  

  

  CoLEOPTERA 
  : 
  — 
  Epicauta 
  sp. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  Cantharid 
  beetle, 
  

   found 
  as 
  a 
  local 
  pest 
  of 
  paddy 
  in 
  South 
  Kanara 
  in 
  October, 
  eating 
  the 
  

   flowers 
  and 
  also 
  attacking 
  ripe 
  ear-heads. 
  The 
  life-history 
  is 
  not 
  

   known. 
  Collection 
  of 
  the 
  beetles 
  by 
  hand 
  or 
  in 
  small 
  hand-nets 
  is 
  

   indicated 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  control. 
  The 
  Galerucid 
  beetle, 
  Oides 
  affinis, 
  

   Jac, 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  Shoranur 
  (Malabar), 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  August. 
  Its 
  

   status 
  as 
  a 
  pest 
  is 
  doubtful, 
  at 
  most 
  it 
  seems 
  sporadic 
  and 
  local. 
  

   Leptispa 
  pygrnaea, 
  Baly, 
  a 
  minute 
  Hispid 
  beetle 
  is 
  found 
  chiefly 
  in 
  

   South 
  Kanara, 
  Malabar, 
  Mysore 
  and 
  Cochin, 
  usually 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  

   August. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  paddy 
  leaves, 
  and 
  the 
  grubs 
  feed 
  on 
  their 
  

   upper 
  surface, 
  the 
  attacked 
  leaves 
  usually 
  folding 
  over 
  and 
  hiding 
  the 
  

   enclosed 
  grub, 
  which, 
  when 
  full-fed, 
  pupates 
  on 
  the 
  leaf, 
  the 
  beetle 
  

   emerging 
  after 
  about 
  four 
  days. 
  The 
  beetles 
  also 
  eat 
  the 
  leaves, 
  

   although 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent 
  than 
  the 
  grubs. 
  This 
  insect 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  

   serious 
  pest, 
  and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  worst 
  in 
  wet 
  w^eather. 
  No 
  successful 
  

   remedy 
  has 
  been 
  devised 
  so 
  far, 
  but 
  bagging 
  by 
  hand-nets 
  may 
  be 
  

   tried. 
  Hispa 
  armigera, 
  Oliv. 
  {aenescens, 
  Baly), 
  occurs 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  rice- 
  

   growing 
  tracts 
  of 
  Southern 
  India, 
  and 
  becomes 
  sporadically 
  a 
  serious 
  

   pest 
  of 
  paddy. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  leaves, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  grubs 
  

   tunnel, 
  producing 
  discoloured 
  patches, 
  and 
  ultimately 
  pupate 
  in 
  the 
  

   leaf. 
  No 
  satisfactory 
  remedy 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  so 
  far, 
  but 
  catching 
  the 
  

   beetles 
  in 
  nets 
  is 
  suggested. 
  Calandra 
  oryzae, 
  L., 
  the 
  rice-weevil, 
  can 
  

   scarcely 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  pest 
  of 
  paddy, 
  although 
  occasionally 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  field 
  on 
  ripe 
  ear-heads, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  of 
  stored 
  rice. 
  

  

  Lepidoptera 
  : 
  — 
  Melanitis 
  ismene. 
  Cram., 
  is 
  found 
  throughout 
  

   Southern 
  India, 
  occurring 
  from 
  sea-level 
  to 
  elevations 
  above 
  7,000 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  pale 
  green 
  caterpillar 
  feeds 
  chiefly 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  sometimes 
  

   attacks 
  paddy, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  doe^. 
  very 
  little 
  damage. 
  Parnara 
  

   mathias, 
  F., 
  the 
  rice-skipper, 
  occurs 
  throughout 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Southern 
  

   India, 
  but 
  is 
  a 
  minor 
  pest 
  of 
  paddy, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  its 
  numbers 
  being 
  kept 
  

   in 
  check 
  by 
  various 
  parasites 
  and 
  predators. 
  The 
  caterpillar 
  lives 
  in 
  

   leaves 
  rolled 
  longitudinally. 
  P. 
  colaca, 
  Moore, 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  

   paddy 
  at 
  Saidapet 
  and 
  Madras, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  regular 
  pest. 
  Another 
  

  

  