164 The Ohio Journal of Science [Vol. XVI, No. 5, 



With the rapid development of Agriculture in the South 

 African provinces, more attention is being paid to the study 

 of Entomology and since a knowledge of systematic work is 

 indispensable to the economic worker, the study of the Hemip- 

 terous order is receiving more attention. The Homoptera will 

 necessarily come in for their share of study and one may predict 

 a healthy development in the near future of our knowledge of 

 this group. 



ECONOMIC. 



The development of the study of Economic Entomology 

 has brought to light the fact that many of the supposedly 

 insignificant and inconspicuous forms of insects are in reality 

 responsible for a great deal of damage to the crops of man. 

 During recent times attention has been paid to the investigation 

 of many Homopterous insects with the result that the Jassids 

 have been found responsible for a great deal of injury to grains, 

 grasses and cereals; besides native grasses, plants and trees. 

 Although as yet none of the Auchenorrhynchous Homoptera in 

 South Africa have been proven to be of great Economic Impor- 

 tance, it would be unsafe to say that such would always be the 

 case. Distant in his Insects Transvaaliensia, points out that 

 "as many of the species generally referred to as " Leafhoppers " 

 by American Entomologists, are undoubtedly injurious to 

 several trees and crops, a knowledge of them, however partial, is 

 of economic importance." Osborn further states that "the 

 leafhoppers affecting the cereal and forage crops constitute a 

 very constant factor and the extent of the drain on such crops is 

 doubtless much greater than is appreciated." 



Entomological work in the United States and territories 

 has revealed the depredations of many members of the Hom- 

 opterous suborder: thus the Periodical Cicada (Cicadidae), the 

 Buffalo Tree-Hopper (Membracidas), the Sugar Cane Leaf- 

 hopper (Fulgorida}) in Hawaii, and the many Froghoppers 

 (Cercopidffi) and Jassids (Jassoidea), may be cited as examples 

 of the general importance of the group from an economic 

 standpoint. Records of extensive injury to crops by members 

 of the superfamily Jassoidea are obtainable in the United 

 vStates — thus Deltocephalus inimicus, Athysanus exitiosus, 

 Dr^eculacephala mollipes and D. reticulata, Agallia sanguino- 

 lenta, and Cicadula G-notata, constitute in some parts a great 



