406 SMQTOID^. 



coarser reticulation of black. Horn black ; legs, prolegs 

 and claspers black, two yellow spots at base of clasper. 

 Spiracles broadly oval, pure white with a narrow black rim, 

 those on segment 12 larger than the rest. Length 80 mm. ; 

 breadth 10 mm. ; horn 6 mm. 



Pupa. — Head bluntly rounded ; hind margin of segment 11 

 raised and undercut, 12 being slightly telescoped into 11 ; 

 8 to 10 slightly flattened dorsally ; antenna equal to fore 

 leg, both reaching to middle of wing-case ; mid-leg to about 

 three-quarters the distance to tip of wing-case ; a long, 

 narrow coxal piece. Surface slightly shining ; head, thorax 

 and wing-case smooth ; abdomen coarsely, transversely 

 wrinkled, and pitted on dorsal surface ; front bevels of seg- 

 ments 9 to 11 wrinkled and pitted. Spiracle of 2 a narrow slit, 

 the hind margin of 2 raised into three parallel ridges in front 

 of it, a narrow transversely oblong lobe, sloping upwards 

 frontad, projecting from the front margin of 3 behind it ; 

 remaining spiracles oval, slightly depressed and surrounded 

 by concentric wrinkles. Cremaster elongate-triangular, ending 

 in a short cylindrical shaft with two minute points. Head, 

 thorax and wing-case bright green when fresh, duller green 

 later, speckled with brown ; tongue and antenna black ; 

 abdomen rusty-red ; a darker, irregular dorsal stripe ; de- 

 pressions between the wrinkles dark brown ; hind bevels 

 of segments 8 to 11 dark brown ; ridges in front of 2 rusty, 

 lobe from 3 black ; spiracles black ; cremaster brown. 

 Length 45 mm. ; breadth 10 mm. ■ 



Habits. — Food-plant: Euphorbia Linn., family Euphorbiacese. 

 Eggs laid in small masses on the young shoots, one on top 

 of the other, from five to twenty or more in a cluster. The 

 larvae five gregariously. They feed voraciously, and when 

 they have stripped the leaves from one plant move on to 

 another. The food-plant itself grows gregariously, and thus 

 large numbers of the larvae can be found in a very small area. 

 Their colouring makes them very conspicuous on the green 

 stems and leaves of the food-plant, which has bright golden- 

 yellow flowers and bracts, but they do not appear to make 

 any attempt to conceal themselves, though when full-fed 

 they lie stretched along the stem close to the earth. When 

 alarmed they throw back the head and anterior segments 

 and eject drops of green fluid from the mouth. When a large 

 number carry out this action simultaneously the effect is most 

 striking, and is increased by the drops of fluid pattering on the 

 dry leaves at the bottom of the stems. This habit may suffice 

 to protect the larvae from insectivorous birds and other 

 animals. Moths emerged in March from pupae formed in the 

 previous July and August. 



