284 R. W. CROSSKEY 



alone (with some others in other zoogeographical regions), and Pyrausta machoeralis 

 has at least ten species of tachinid parasite in India and Burma. Other Lepidoptera 

 appear to be less attractive to a generality of tachinid parasites and. to be attacked 

 solely or predominantly by a few closely allied members of the same tachinid tribe. 

 Notable instances in the Oriental fauna, mentioned earlier, include the Limacodidae 

 parasitized specially by certain Exoristini, the Sphingidae parasitized almost 

 exclusively by members of the Sturmiini, and Hesperiidae parasitized mainly by 

 Carceliini. 



A specially interesting host record involving Lepidoptera is that of the hepialid 

 Sahyadrassus malabaricus acting as host of Doleschalla elongata in southern India. 

 The genus Doleschalla forms a small monogeneric tribe of which the phyletic affini- 

 ties are uncertain. Adult structure, including male genitalia, and the usual coleop- 

 terous hosts suggest that the Doleschallini must be close allies of the Prosenini 

 (Dexiini) which are parasites of wood-inhabiting beetle larvae, and if this is so then 

 the occurrence of a Doleschalla species as a parasite on Lepidoptera seems at first 

 anomalous. However, the larva of Sahyadrassus malabaricus is wood-boring (being 

 a tunneller in trunk and branches of young teak and eucalyptus) and therefore 

 occupies a similar ecological niche to that of wood-boring beetles. Hence the fact 

 that D. elongata parasitizes Hepialidae does not contra-indicate placement of 

 Doleschalla in the Proseninae (Dexiinae) , though it is certainly true that Proseninae 

 do not normally have lepidopterous hosts. 



Coleoptera. Beetles rank a long way behind the Lepidoptera in importance as 

 hosts of Oriental Tachinidae. The relatively few records to date of host-associations 

 with beetles involve the same families as in other zoogeographical regions, 

 viz. the Scarabaeidae s.L, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae and the Cerambycidae; 

 one Oriental tachinid is recorded as parasitizing an endomychid. The tachinid 

 groups that attack Oriental Coleoptera are mainly the Prosenini (Dexiini) that 

 parasitize larval scarabaeids and the Palpostomatini that attack adult scarabaeids, 

 but certain Blondeliini parasitize Chrysomelidae (the females of some possessing 

 special modifications for ovipositing on the adult beetles). There are no host 

 records yet for Oriental members of the Rutiliini but beetle hosts are to be expected 

 for this group (especially larval melolonthines). 



Hemiptera. Among all Tachinidae only the Phasiinae are known to have hemip- 

 terous hosts. The Pentatomidae and Pyrrhocoridae are known to provide hosts 

 for Oriental tachinids, but there are very few records so far. There are a few 

 proven hosts for some members of the Eutherini and Phasiini, but none for Oriental 

 Leucostomatini. The hosts of the very rich Oriental fauna of Cylindromyiini 

 remain wholly unknown, but the pentatomid Eysarcoris inconspicuus is a host of 

 the essentially European species Cylindromyia rufipes in Pakistan (a country just 

 falling within the coverage of the present work), and of C. evibrissata (Anwar Cheema 

 et al. 1973). Some of the little-known Eutherini have very wide distributions in 

 southern Europe, Asia and Africa, and it is to be expected that close correlations 

 will be found between the ranges of Euthera species and their extensively distributed 



