Page:Life-histories of Indian insects - Microlepidoptera - T. Bainbrigge Fletcher.djvu/51

 16 LIFE-HISTORIES OF PTEROPHORIDJE An egg, extruded by a captured female moth, was about 0*35 mm. long by 0*20 mm. broad, the ends rounded, uniform salmon-pink, the surface shining and covered with a series of large depressions. DEUTEROCOPUS ALOPECODES, MEYR. Deuterocopus alopecodes, Meyr., B. J., XXI, 105-106 (19il)(i). Described from Karwar where the moths were found in August " from a single vine-plant on which the species was plentiful "(^). The larva pre- sumably feeds on this vine, but this species is unknown to me. DEUTEROCOPUS SOCOTRANUS, REBEL. Deuterocopus socotranus, Rebel, Denk. Math-Nat. Ak. Wiss., LXXII, pt. ii, pp. 85-87, fig. (1907)(i) ; Fletcher, T. E. S., 1910, 124-130, ff. 3, 4, t- 44 f. 8, t. 45 f. 1(2). Deiiterocopus tengstrcemi {nee Zell.), Meyr., B. J., XVII, 134 (1906)(3). Deuterocopus viticola, Meyr., B. J., XXI, 104-105 (1911)(4). This species * is very widely distributed, its range extending from West Africa, S.E. and East Africa, Sokotra, through India, Ceylon, Sumba, Tambora and Amboyna to New Guinea and Queensland. In India, Ceylon and Burma it is common in most districts and we have it from Hambantota, Coimbatore, Surat, Pusa, Moulmein and Minbu. At Pusa it has been reared from larvae on Vitis trifolia. vine {Vitis quadrangularis) The following is a brief description from a living larva found at Hambantota : — Length 7 mm.., stout, stoutest at about mid-length, decreasing rapidly anally ; head capable of retraction into or under prothorax. Incisions between segments distinctly marked. Colour a uniform pale green ; head yellowish-brown and prothorax dark blackish- purple. Prothoracic legs purple, other legs and prolegs pale green ; legs and prolegs rather short and stout. To the naked eye no hairs are visible except two pairs of short whitish curved hairs on the anal segment and a pair of short submedian hairs, directed forward, on each thoracic segment. Spiracles high-placed, about half-way up the side, fairly conspicuous from being out- lined in a slightly lighter green tint than that composing the general colour heterogeneous material. The true socotranus is possibly truly distinct, as indicated in my paper on this genus, but examination of over one hundred specimens ranging from West Africa to New Guinea failed to provide me with any satisfactory method of separating these into true species, and 1 adhere to my former expression of opinion op this |)oint. An nhnost exactly similar case is provided by Buckleria de/eclalis, Wlk.
 * The larva feeds in Ceylon on the flowers of the square-stemmed jungle
 * Mr. Meyrick(*) considers that the form described by me as »ocotranus{^) consists of