THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 866.— August 15th, 1913. 



SOME NOTES ON A LUMINOUS SOUTH AFEIGAN 

 FULGOEID INSECT (RHINORTHA GUTTATA, 

 Walk.), TOGETHER WITH A DESCRIPTION OF 

 ITS PARASITIC LEPIDOPTEROUS LARVA. 



By H. W. Bell-Mabley. 



Among our South African Falgoridce, we have here, at Durban, 

 one of two recorded species of the genus Rhinortha, viz. R. 

 guttata, Walk. (Distant's ' Insecta Transvaaliensia,' vol. i. p. 186, 

 tab. xviii. f. 1), the other being R. marleyi, Dist., more recently 

 described (I. c. p. 206, f. 37), and I confine attention to the former 

 species. This South African Fulgorid, in common with all the 

 other members of the Family, inhabits thick hedges and bush, 

 preferring these, I suppose, as a protection against their many 

 enemies — birds, especially Cinnyris, and lizards. This insect, 

 though long known to me in Natal, has never been plentiful, not 

 more than half a dozen or so coming to light during the season. 



Quite early in April last my attention was drawn to this 

 species, which had been more than a nuisance to the occupants 

 of one house in particular, their evening siestas and " bridge " 

 parties being quite disorganised by the abrupt appearance of 

 these insects, which could be counted in dozens at a time, and, 

 after having struck the verandah lights, crept wherever their 

 fancy led them. My friend, wishing to save some for my in- 

 spection, placed a couple in a tumbler, but these, I learned, had 

 aroused the Persian kitten's attention, who ate them, so I could 

 only hazard a guess as to what the species was like. 



One fine afternoon later, on looking for something else in the 

 garden hedges, I caught sight of a brown movement behind a 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. XVII., August, 1913. z 



