190 PETCH : 



were (1) pinning fungus-bearing leaves into trees infested 

 with Aleyrodes citri in such a way as to cause the fungus 

 spores to come in contact with larvse not yet infected, and 

 (2) planting small trees with fungus-infected larvse in a grove, 

 so that the fungjis-bearing leaves came in contact with the 

 leaves on which it was desired to start the fungus. Successful 

 introductions of the Aschersonia have been obtained by Berger 

 by spraying the spores on the trees infested with the insect. 

 There is, however, an element of doubt in experiments of this 

 kind, which prevents their citation as successful examples of 

 artificial infection. Possibly a better instance isthe successful 

 infection of Aleyrodes vaporarium by Aschersonia Goldiana 

 (misdetermined as Aschersonia flavocitrina), accomplished by 

 Stene in the greenhouse at the Rhode Island College of Agri- 

 culture, as in that case the possibility of natural infection was 

 remote. 



The experiment last cited illustrates a point which is self- 

 evident to any one who has collected any considerable quantity 

 of these fungi in the field, viz., that their parasitism, as far 

 as the available evidence goes to prove, is not specialized. 

 This has been noted chiefly in connection with the commoner 

 Lecaniicolous species, of which a large quantity of material 

 is available. In the case of Ceylon and Eastern collections 

 the host insect has been determined in a number of instances 

 and it is clear from the recordsthat Hypocrella Reineckiana, 

 for example, can attack a A\dde range of species of Lecanium. 



In America Aschersonia Aleyrodis, according to Morrill and 

 Back, has been found to attack Aleyrodes citri, A. nuhifera 

 Berger, A. inconspicva Quaintance, A . floridensis Quaintance, 

 A. howardi Quaintanoe, and A. ahutilonea Hald. Aschersonia 

 Goldiana is recorded by the same authors as parasitic on 

 A. citri and A. nuhifera only. 



Conversely, any given species of Lecanium or Aleyrodes 

 may be attacked by a number of species of Aschersonia or 

 Hypocrella. This is indicated by the occurrence of two or 

 more species of these fungi on the same leaf. Hypocrella 

 olivacea frequently occurs with Hypocrella javanica and 

 Hypocrella Reineckiana on Lecanium olesn in Ceylon. Hypo- 

 crella discoidea is often accompanied by Hypocrella Mollii, 



