624 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXFI, 



Sub-family — Lecaniin.^. 



10. Pulvinaria psidii. Mask.* 



This is one of the most important of Coccid pests at present known i n 

 South India. It is popularly known as the * Guava mealy scale.' Though 

 it is very often found bad on the guava plant it has been noted to do 

 damage to a variety of others, the chief of them being coflFee, tea, mango, 

 GitrUrS and Morinda. The young and fairly mature scales are bright green 

 in colour more or less resembling the green bug of coffee, but the mature 

 female throws out a white ovisac and this is found in numbers on badly 

 infested plants. A black mould also forms in course of time and gives 

 a completely blighted appearance to the plants affected. It is found 

 throughout South India especially in the hill plantations. 



11. Pulvinaria maxima. Green.* 



This is also a destructive species almost chiefly confined to the Margossa 

 (nim) tree and found in most parts of South India chiefly in and around 

 Ooimbatore. Almost throughout the year the pest can be found on trees 

 in varying numbers. A badly infested tree shows all the stages of the 

 pest in numbers ; the male piiparia are small and white and cover the whole 

 surface of the plant, leaves, shoots and stem. The adult females are pale 

 brown leathery objects generally found attached to the tender shoots and 

 stems ; when about to oviposit they upread themselves to the leaves and 

 branches and deposit the long curved ovisac so conspicuously seen on 

 infested plants. The adult males are tiny delicate two winged creatures 

 with a pair of long processes at the tiil end. A small lady bird beetle 

 is also found predacious on this scxle. The common black ant ' Cam- 

 ponotus compressa' visits the scale iu colonies, and nests of this ant are 

 found underneath these trees. The insects throw out so much secretion 

 that the ground below becomes completely wet and the foliage of the lower 

 branches becomes covered with black soot giving the characteristic 

 blighted look. There is every likelihood of this insect spreading to other 

 plants and trees also. Recently mulberry plants were found attacked in 

 Ooimbatore, The insect was first descTibed by Green from Javanese speci- 

 mens collected on Erythrina lithosperma. 



12. Pulvinaria thespesice. Green.* 



This species is in structure and habits very similar 

 species. I have noted this pretty bad on 

 populnea) which is a very common avenue tree 



to the preceding 

 the Portia tree (Thespesia 

 along the coast roads 

 of* the Godaveri district near Cocanada, Coringa, etc. The long, curved 

 ovisacs are very big and prominent and found in masses on the leaves and 

 shoots. This was first described from Ceylon on the same plant and has not 

 been recorded from India till now. 



13. Creoplastes adiniformis. Green.* 



This pretty looking reddish brown waxy scale is found on a number of 

 plants and though it has not yet assumed the role of a pest there are signs 

 that it might prove a destructive species. Found on Cocoanut leaves 

 (Ooimbatore and Malabar), Mango leaves (Ooimbatore), on Oanna leaves 

 (Samalkota, Godavari), on Ficus (Anantapur) and on Calophyllum leaves 

 (South Canara). The scale is often found in large colonies along the 

 unfolded inner surface of the cocoanut leaves in Malabar. On Calophyllum 

 it was found doing some appreciable damage. The octagonal arrangement 



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