218 



Some undescribed caterpillars. 



by a dorsal stalk, the thoracical girth is stalked dorsally as well so that 

 the pupa is hung up abdomen downwards. 



The butterflj emerged on the 23rd. of November and was a female. 

 Pupa-stage 14 days. 



Rhopalocampta keithloa Wllgrn. 



Two fuU-grown caterpillars of this species were caught in the Park 

 at Durban in November 07. At first look I mistook them for the larvae 

 of Rhopal. forestan Gram, but the markings of the head not agreeing 

 with the description of R. Trimen, I thought it better to describe the 

 Caterpillar and to breed the specimens for surety's sake. 



Caterpillar: The larva is elongated, contracted on first segment; 

 head large, heart-shaped, rounded inferiorly; the depression in the middle 

 of its upperedge forming a slight groove down the middle of the face; 

 colour orange with two horizontal rows of purplish-brown spots, 4 in 

 the superior and 5 in the inferior one. Ground-colour of body yellow, first 

 somite entirely brown, the others with a wide transverse purplish-brown 

 band in front and with one narrower one in 2nd. and 3rd. somite but with 

 two in all the rest, a dorsal orange blot on these narrow bands of the 

 4th. and following spaces between the somites yellow. Thesepurplish-brown 

 bands extend laterally to a bright red spiracular line from 2nd. to 

 I2th. segment including the 12th. segment ones and are marked by a 

 dorsal transverse yellow streak, further above the spiracles by an ovate 

 yellow spot on both sides. True legs bright-red with yellow claws; 

 claspers of the same bright-red^ underside of body yellow. This yellow 

 ground-colour appears green when Caterpillar is feeding, the green inside 

 shines through the transparent skin. Length abouth 30 mm. 



Pupa: The pupa is thick, rounded; head with short frontal pro- 

 jection; prothorax bumped posterioly; colour greenish at the beginning, 

 becoming yellow afterwards and almost reddish, when butterfly has 

 emerged; covered with a chalky white bloom; spiracles black; anal 

 prominence long, black, ends in two short points. 



The pupa is attached at the tail by a silken girth stalked Over 

 the middle of the back and a silken sling round thorax, which is stalked 

 at the back and both of which are fixed to the leaf. My caterpillar when 

 pupating had left its shelter and walked to a plant with smaller leaves, 

 drawing 5 leaves together to form a tube for changing into a chrysalis. 



Mr. J. P. Hansel Weale states that his caterpillars pupated in a 

 loose irregulär web in curled leaf. My caterpillar made no web at all 

 but put the leaves together by very few strong silken threads. The 

 butterflj emerged at the end of November. 



Pomphila. 



Four caterpillars, 3 fullgrown and 1 in second skin were found on 

 the Phoenix palm (Phoenix reclinata). They had eaten the leaves, 

 leaving only the stem. Their appearance not quite agreeing with the 

 description given by R. Trimen I let foUow mine here. 



The young larva died after a few days, one of the full-grown was 

 preserved for my collection. 



Young stage: larva about 13 mm long; thickest in middle at 

 unuated to both ends; head brown, unproportionally large, 0-shaped; 

 bind- claspers very long. Colour greenish-yellow with a brown dorsal and 

 two whitish sub-dorsal lines. 



