PLUME-MOTHS OF CEYLON. 
11 
prolegs rather small, greenish-yellow. The larva feeds on the 
flowers and seeds of Sopubia trifida .” 
In the case of another larva, the 6th and 11th segments had a 
round pale spot in the purple dorsal stripe on each side of its central 
darker line. (Plate E, figure 3.) 
The pupa is long and narrow, of a pale yellowish-green colour 
with a broad purplish-red dorsal stripe; the usual white hairs are 
so short that they are only just perceptible under a lens. The 
larval skin is discarded entirely and is shrunk up into.a minute pellet. 
The pupa is capable of rapid and violent motions in the ventro¬ 
dorsal plane, the head being bent backwards dorsally until it touches 
the anal extremity. The pupa is suspended head downwards, 
ventral surface against support. 
Stenoptilia PETRiEA, Meyr. 
T. E. S., 1907, 504. 
Distribution. —Diyatalawa. The only specimen that I have seen 
was beaten from a clump of bushes in a marshy valley near the 
Rifle Range on August 19, 1907. 
Originally described from the Palni and Nilgiri Hills in Southern 
India. 
Observation .^Superficially very similar to zophodactyla, but 
structurally distinct by the shape of the first segment of the fore 
wings, which is narrower and with lower margin straight to apex, 
so that there is no lower angle. This pecularity is very distinct 
and striking, once attention is directed to it. 
PLATYPTILIA, Hb. 
Synopsis of the Species. 
^ C Abdomen as long as dorsum of fore wing.. brachymorpha 
t Abdomen shorter than dorsum of fore wing 2 
j Pectus and ventral surface of abdomen 
2 I canary-yellow .. . . 3 
Pectus and ventral surface of abdomen not 
canary-yellow .. ,. 4 ** 
Base of cleft of f.w. is outside of a line 
i drawn to costa from outer scale-tuft on 
3 j dorsum .. .. citropleura 
| Base of cleft of f.w. is directly over outer 
■| dorsal scale-tuft . . .. taprobanes 
[ Large scale-tooth on dorsum of third seg- 
^ | ment of h.w. is apical or nearly so .. pusillidactyla 
| Large scale-tooth on dorsum of third seg- 
[ ment of h.w. does not reach beyond J .. molopias 
Note .—I have seen no specimens of P. direptalis , Wlk., and 
from the descriptions only I am unable to separate it from P. molo¬ 
pias , which latter is a most variable species. 
