Some notes on the Life History of the 

 Aspidomorpha Miliaris. 



By Captain C. F. Bishop, e.g.a. 



This is a medium sized beetle a little less than half an 

 inch in length and breadth, of orange colour marked with black 

 spots. 



In the classification of the Cambridge Natural History 

 it belongs to: — Order Coleoptera, Sub-Order Phytophaga, Fami- 

 ly Chrysomeliclae, Subfamily Cryptostomes, Group Cassidid,es. 



Description. 



Its head and neck are protected by a chitinous shield, 

 which encircles the neck, and beneath which the head can be 

 entirely withdrawn. The thorax and abdomen are entirely 

 covered by strong chitinous elytra, which fit closely along the 

 margin of the head shield, and together with it form a more or 

 less hemispherical covering. 



The head shield is semi-transparent and has no black 

 spots on it. The portions of the elytra that cover the thorax 

 and abdomen are of a dull whitish colour which changes to a 

 bright orange as the insect grows older, and these inner portions 

 are each ornamented with, as a rule, eight small black spots, 

 (Fig. 4), (some specimens have only six spots), while the 

 outer rims of the elytra, which are semi-transparent, have each 

 two somewhat larger black spots, and a thin edging of black. 

 The male and female are almost indistinguishable having 

 no difference in their markings, but the female is, as a rule, 

 slightly larger than the male. 



The largest specimen yet seen by the writer measured 

 12*5 mm. from front of head shield to the extremity of elytra, 

 and 11'5 mm. across the widest portion of the elytra ; the 

 width of the abdomen being 6 mm. This was a female. 



Jour. Straits Branch R. A. Soc, No. 53. I90Q. 



