STUDIES ON THREE SPECIES OF GENUS TRABALA WALKER (LASIOCAMPIDAE: BOMBYCOIDEA: LEPIDOPTERA) FROM NORTH WEST INDIA.

The genus Trabala Walker is represented by 28 species from the Oriental and Palearctic regions. Three species of this genus, i.e., Trabala ganesha Roepke, Trabala pallida (Walker), and Trabala vishnou (Lefebvre) have been critically examined to study the external morphological structures including the wing venation and genitalic features. These attributes are species-specific and can be used for discrimination of closely allied species. A key has also been formulated. The wing venation and genitalic features of these three species proved to be significant for differentiation, and on the basis of these studies, it has been found that these three species are significantly distinct from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]