Abstract

The members of the family Geometridae commonly known as span worms' or 'measuring worms are serious pests of orchards in western countries, while most of the species, occurring in the Indian region, according to Lefroy, are hill and forest forms. Even the few forms found on the plains have not been observed as serious pests. One species- Semiothisa (Macaria) pervolgata has, however, been noted for the first time in 1936 in Coimbatore doing severe damage to Daincha (Sesbania aculeata) one of the important green manure plants in the Madras Presidency. The paper deals with the life history and habits of the pest together with information on its natural enemies and control methods tried.

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