22 
MIMASTRA CYANURA. 
HOPE. 
Olassification :—Order, COLEOPTERA, Family, cHRYSOMELID4, Sub- 
family, Galerucide. : 
Description. 
This small beetle is yellow in colour, shining, with filiform 
antenne about # the length of the body. The head is small, 
round and separate from the prothorax. Prothorax quadrangular, 
slightly longer than broad. Elytra oblong-oval, dilated behind 
and very obtuse. Legs longish. os 
Life History. 
The beetle appears on the wing about the middle of June 
or perhaps earlier, it having been found.by Mr, C, G. Rogers, 
Deputy Conservator of Forests, defoliating trees on the 18th of 
the month, Neither larva nor pupa appear to have been noted, 
and no further observations on its life history are forthcoming 
with reference to the dates of appearance of these stages and 
the number of generations in the year. 
Locality from which reported. 
This beetle was found in the Dehra Dun District in 1896. 
Relations to the.forest. 
M, cyanura is a leaf-feeding chrysomelid, and defoliates 
both young and old trees of the species Grewza astatica. In 
the aitack noticed in 1896 the beetles were said to have appeared 
in large numbers flying freely and being sufficiently numerous 
to produce a humming noise as of a swarm of bees passing 
overhead. The majority of the leaves were badly eaten by the 
18th June, in many cases only a short piece of the base of the 
midrib remaining intact. No birds were present feeding upon 
these beetles, and it is probable, as noted by Mr. Rogers, that 
the thick orange liquid which they have the power of emit- 
ting from their heads has some distasteful quality in its com- 
position. 
