626 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL BIST. SOCIEIY, Vol. XXVI, 



and its young are found completely covering the stem and shoots of the 

 host plant and this gives a glistening white appearance to the stem. A 

 black mould follows the attack and the tree suffers to an appreciable 

 degree. It is probable that this insect might in course of time assume the 

 status of an important pest of some of our valuable trees. 



Sub-family — Dactylopiin^. 



20. Dadylopius indicus. Green*. 



This is the well known wild cochineal insect producing the beautiful 

 purple dye. Though this is not commonly found I found it pretty 

 abundant on the prickly pear plant in parts of the Godavari district. The 

 soft mealy covered females are found crowded together on the surface of 

 the prickly pear foliage, and the male puparia which are shining white 

 small cocoon shaped objects are also found clustered near the thorn 

 bunches. The insect seems to eflectively destroy prickly pear of the species 

 Opuntia monacantha though my efforts to inoculate the s^me on the common 

 South Indian species 'O.dileni^ did not meet with success. The dye got out 

 of this insect is a brilliant purple one. 



21. Pseuclococcus citri, Risso. 



A well known mealy bug found throughout the world and doing serious 

 damage to different plants in various countries. It has over forty host 

 plants. I foimd it bad on Cocoa plants grown in the Government gardens, 

 Kallar (Nilgiris). Large white patches of this bug were found covering the 

 growing pods. It has been noted before on Coffee seedlings in Mysore 

 and Coorg. 



22. Pseiidococcus virgatus*. 



This is another mealy bug very commonly found in South India infesting 

 a variety of garden plants such as croton, tomato, Sesbania, Hibiscus (in 

 Coimbatore), Cambodia cotton (in South Arcot), etc, 



23. Pseudococcus sacchari, Ckll. f 



This mealy bug is found infesting the inner surface of the leaf sheaths 

 of the growing paddy plant. Sometimes this does considerable damage 

 to paddy in parts of Trichinopoly and Tanjore. It is known as the 

 ' choorai ' disease on paddy. Infested fields show isolated patches of 

 plants drying up. 



24. Pseudococcus corymbatus, Green. (MS name only.)* 



This is another destructive mealy bug which produces large masses of 

 white mealy matter. Noted on Jak (in Malabar), On citrus shoots and 

 fruits (in Godavari District), and on Cotton plants (Coimbatore). The 

 shoots and fruits of the host plants are covered over with thick masses of 

 the white mealy matter under which the bugs live. In Malabar the red ant 

 Oecophylla visits the colonies of the bug on Jak. Not recorded before from 

 India and no description of the species has yet been published. 



25. Phenacoccus insolitus. Green.* 



A mealy bug found doing damage to Brinjal plants all over South India. 

 Generally found appearing on plants which are fairly old and have been in 

 the field for a pretty long time. Attacked plants show the leaves covered 



t Named by Prof. Newstead. 



