Observations on the habits and natural surroundings of insects made during the 'Skeat expedition' to the Malay peninsula, 1899-1900 / by Nelson Annandale.

Nelson Annandale

Date:: 1900

Credit: Observations on the habits and natural surroundings of insects made during the 'Skeat expedition' to the Malay peninsula, 1899-1900 / by Nelson Annandale. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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$is not surprising, as the chief resistance that the ordinary large Locustid can offer is that performed with its third pair of legs, which are incredibly powerful in some species and often armed with formidable spines. Instead of resisting, it lowers its head, so as to separate it from the thorax, and erects the hood. If this does not cause its enemy to let it loose, its resources are at an end. The sudden apparition of the vivid scarlet patch on the dull and inconspicuous body of the insect may w^ell be disconcerting to its natural enemies. To a human observer it appears that he has injured his specimen, and that some brilliantly coloured portion of its internal anatomy is issuing from its neck. Malay Name,—The Jalor and Ithaman Malays call this and allied species Belalang Qamhor^^ or Image Grasshopper, perhaps because they recognize a likeness between it in its alarming attitude and images of Buddha overshadowed by Cobras with expanded hoods. N colossal statue of this kind exists in a cave-temple near Biserat. AVben I asked for the Belalang Gamhor^’’ at Aring, the natives brought me a large Locust {Acridium succinctum), that is known to the Malays at Biserat as “ Belalang Bahi,” or Pig Grasshopper. Remarles.—In the jungle near Kota Bharu, Bhamau, I found a single specimen of another species {Capno'ptera,, sp. n.) which had the same peculiarity of structure and attitude as this form, but differed from it in that the brilliant coloration was not confined to a part of the body which was concealed when the insect was at rest. Its head and body were of a dull neutral green ; its tegmina pale, dull translucent yellow, barred and spotted with black ; and its legs magenta. Magenta was also the colour of the hood, which in form and extent resembled that of the commoner species. The action of these two grasshoppers may be compared with that of certain caterpillars, e,g. of one which is not common on pome- granate trees at Biserat in the month of June. It is a fair-sized form, probably belonging to the Lymantriidce., which reaches a length of from 4 cm. to 6 cm. The dorsal surface is covered with long hairs of a pale lemon-yellow^ colour, those on the 4th to 7th segments being shorter and more closely set than the others. Between the 4th and 5th segments a black bar of a peculiar v^elvety appearance extends right across the body. This bar is surrounded by a kind of white halo, and is almost completely concealed when the caterpillar is feeding or walking ; which it does in rather a peculiar manner, always resting after every few paces, and twisting its body about, as if it were feeling round to see that there was nothing wrong. If one blew upon the caterpillar, or irritated it in any other way, it suddenly bent the anterior and posterior regions of its body together, thus causing the black bar on the back to become stretched and be conspicuous, and to appear like a gaping, cavernous mouth, of which the bunches of hair behind and before formed the jaws. The phenomenon was first pointed out to me by Mr. I). T. Gwynue Vaughan, then botanist to the Expedition. 8ome such cases come near to mimicrv; for the one just [19]$