160 SPHINGIDJE. 



Larva : — 



Final instar. Head triangular, vertex rounded but more 

 pointed than in lineata, higher than segment 2 ; clypeus small ; 

 ligula kidney- shaped. Surface of head moderately shining. 

 Body tapering slightly from 7 front ad. Horn short, straight, 

 thick at base, tapering sharply to a blunt point ; prolegs and 

 claspers small. Surface of body dull ; a transverse row of 

 small tubercles along each secondary ring ; a dorso-lateral line 

 of larger bluntly-pointed tubercles from front margin of seg- 

 ment 2 to base of horn. Horn covered with small tubercles. 



Coloration. — Head glaucous-green, the tubercles white ; 

 ligula whitish ; antenna pink. Body grass-green ; a bluish- 

 green dorsal stripe flanked on each side by a narrow yellow 

 stripe ; a narrow white dorso-lateral stripe on which the dorso- 

 lateral line of tubercles lies, edged above with dark brown, the 

 tubercles white ; a yellowish-green subspiracular stripe, also 

 edged above by dark brown. Horn rose-brown ; legs, prolegs, 

 anal flap and claspers rose-coloured. The area between the 

 dorso-lateral and subspiracular stripes sometimes suffused with 

 rose-brown, the legs, prolegs and middle of venter then 

 suffused with pink. Spiracles oval, flush, colour yellowish. 

 Length 55 mm. ; breadth 5 mm. ; horn 3 mm. 



In the earlier instars the head is elongate-triangular, with 

 a long process on the apex of each lobe ; horn long and straight ; 

 head and horn rose-colour, body green. 



Pupa. — Not known. 



Habits. — Eggs laid singly on the underside of blades of grass. 

 family Gramineae, all the more coarse species of which appear 

 to form its food-plant. The larvae , when small, lie with the 

 body straight along the midrib of a leaf and close to it, 

 the long head-processes directed forwards. When mature 

 they clasp the stalk when feeding, but retire to rest near the 

 ground, with the head downwards. We never succeeded in 

 inducing them to pupate. They stopped feeding and burrowed 

 into the earth in a normal manner, but, instead of making 

 a cell and pupating, they came to the surface again, then 

 gradually shrivelled up and died. The moths come freely 

 to light from about 8 p.m. They rest with the wings held 

 steeply penthouse -wise, as in lineata. 



Genus POLYPTYCHUS Hiibner. (Fig. 33). 



Hubner, 1822, p. 141 (part.) ; Roths. & Jord., 1903, p. 232 ; id., 



1907, p. 49 ; Jordan, 1911, p. 240. 

 Pseudosmerinthus, Butler, 1877 A, p. 593. 



Genotype : dentatus Cram. 



Imago. — Grey, with dark oblique lines on fore wing. 



''(£$. Joint of first and second palpal segments more or 



