THE AGKIOULTTJRAL NEWb. 



March 8. 1919. 



INSECF N0TE3. 



MISCELLANEOUS INSECTS 



The following notes deal with a few insects which 

 liave been sent to the United States Bareau of Entomology 

 at WMhington, and the Imperial Bureau of Entomology in 

 XondoD, for identification. The names of these have been 

 leceiied and are published with such information regarding 

 -fthem as in available 



OKTHOFTKRA. A bright, green ^jraashopper or katydid 

 rfroin St. Lucia, where it was reported as eating leaves of 

 vitTUs trees. This insect was originally described from St. 

 Hartholomew, and is recorded from Montserrat. Dominica, 

 >iod St. Lucia. The insect measures 1 h inches or more from 

 'he front of the head to the tips of ths closed wings- The 

 -wiDgs extend for more than haU their length beyond the end 

 «»f the boiy. The wings are nbnut J-inch wide at their widest 

 jarr. 



This insect if Turpitia punctata^ Stal.^^It probably 

 «jccur« throughout the West Indies, but never in great num 

 ^'ers. and although it is sometimes" found eating the leaves of 

 citrus trees, it does not seem likely to become a serious pest. 

 HKMIPXERA. Three species of hemipterous insec's are 

 ancluded among the specimens recently named. These are 

 J^aracarnus ap., Anasa uorhutiii:, Fab- and Euchenopa 

 tjuropiita. Buckt. 



Paracarnus ap. was collected by the Agricultural Super- 

 intoiiderjt. Orenada, who found it attacking cacao thrips. It 

 belongs (o the family Capsidae, the members of which are 

 3nost)y leaf feeders, but some are predaceons. The insect is 

 "very delicate in appearance, about J-inch in length, brownish 

 nn i;olour. with senii-transpareni ^^ings. It is now recorded 

 art a riatural enemy of the cacao tbrips, but up to the present 

 "time there is no evidence that it i.« of great value in the 

 Control of thrips. 



Anasa ii"«r/>a//'i:a is found faiijy commonly on Momordica 

 i:ruirantia. the cucurbitaceous vine which bears the yellow 

 ^kIh known as 'Maiden's blush', 'Miraculous', 'lizards food', 

 and by other common names. The specimens which were 

 aenl away for identitication camw from St. Vincent, but the 

 insect is known to occur in Grenada also, and it is probably 

 •widely distributed in the West ladies. 



The tree hoppers of the hemipterous family Membracidae 

 itxv peculiar looking insects on account, largely, of striking 

 Snodifications of the prothora.x. The one now referred to w. 

 jF.uchenopa duropicta, specimens of which are taken in 

 f^f. \'incent "ii Tephnisia caiidida. 



Ill this species the prothorax is extended above and for- 

 wiw-d over the head in a pointed projection. The colour of 

 ■•he insect ifi black and yellow : its length is about ,'j inch. 

 'I'ree hoppers neldoiu become abundant fnoogh to rank as 

 peata. 



cuLXOPl'F.BA h small beetle was found in the hold of 

 the .schooner Annie M. Murphy, which arrived at Barbados 

 last November with cotton seed to be used for oil production, 

 *nd other cargo t() be transhipped for the United Kingdom 

 On Account of the presence of the pink boll worm in the 

 ■v)tt'in seed this wau ref 11 -ii'd luiniissTou, and aj there wav con- 

 .■tidered to be a .strflug probability that the other cargo wbicii 

 ooosisted nf ba^i^ of cassava, c».u»va farine, and wheat bran 

 might carry thifi in.iect. this al<^(< was refuspH udmiitsi'in ('see 

 Agricultural Newi. Vol. .XVU, p. 37ti). 



The insect referred to was seen to occur iu some itbun 

 4>ttct: ClftvMng '."W tbfi bags r)f cnijsava, The beetle h«i< been 



identified at the Imperial Bureau of Entomology as Araecerus 

 fasciculatu%, de Oeer, and Dr G. A. K. Marshall, the 

 Director, writes as follows : ' The Araecerus is a cosmopoli- 

 tan beetle which seems to attack seeds of many different 

 kinds, although it is most generally known for the damage it 

 does to coffee.' 



HYMENOPTEEA. A briiiht, green bee, reported to be 

 pollinating the tl'twers of the egg plant in St. Vincent, has 

 been determined to be Augjchlora antialans, C ickerell, and a 

 large wasp which is widely distributed in these islands and in 

 some locilities abundant, proves to be Monedula siznuta, L. 

 This is one of the f-oli ary wa.<>ps of the family Bembicidae. 

 These insects catch flies for storing their underground nests. 

 In appearance Monedula sipiafn is a large robust wasp, 

 measuring some | inch in lenutb, and 1| inches in spread of 

 wings. The body colour is black and yellow-bandtd, yellow 

 predominating on the under surfaces of the body, and black 

 on the upper. 



These wasps are often to be seen about the sugar-boiling 

 houses where they seem to be attracted by the fiesh 

 raegass or the molasses Although solitary in habit, 

 that is each female forms her individual nest or nests in 

 the ground in which the eggs are deposited along 

 with the food on which the grubs are to live, they 

 often live -n large" communities, in localities where 

 the conditions are favourable for the construction of their 

 nests In these places-they may often be seen to piunce on 

 their prey and capture it. This species captures large flies, 

 and sometimes eight or ten attack the same prey 

 simultaneously with all the ferocity of eagles, and they all go 

 r<> the ground together in a struggling mass. 



During November last there were severe attacks of 

 caterpillars on cowpeas and pigeon peas in Antigua and 

 St. Kitts In St. Kitti-- these caterpillars were controlled by 

 a parasitic fungus, and in both of these islands a parasitic 

 insect occurred whitiK probably materially helped in 

 checking the outbreak -of caterpillars. 



This has now been identified as Coclichneunton scrnforiiis, 

 Cresson It is a wasp-like insect about \ inch in length, the 

 thoras being black wiVh fine white markings, and the abdo- 

 men red. 



HA.B. 



DOWN THE ISLANDS. 



ITEMS OF LOCAL INTEREST 



iiOMiNiOA. In his uote.H for the month of January- 

 Mr. Jones, Curator of the Botanic Station, draws attention 

 to special work don« at thf lime experiment station in 

 cultural improveniefii"! Surf ice drains have been d\x% 

 among.it young lime tttes. and 2^ more acres of land, on which 

 it is intended thai limes shall be plan'ed this year, have- 

 also been drained. The experiment plow, which now cover an 

 area of about 4A acres, were also pruned- During the month 

 the manurial plot-- vv^re weedtd, and phwphatic and potataic 

 manures applieil The jKiV\ during the month from the 

 limif experiment station wa.-f ■l.'^ harrelf-' of limes, bringing 

 the totaj crop for »en months, April l'.>18 to January 1919, 

 up t(. I. our. biirtc h of fruit Right bags of cacao were 

 shipped d'lrini; the month from the >!t!ition to London- I'lant 

 dintributioM ff>r tb' month c'liLsisteti of: lime plants, 4,560, 

 ffii'celluneon.s T); Ttnhrosia seed-s, 15 Itj , peanuts, ■'ilb-; onion 

 .seed. tJO fti-, vcgcubli^ seed, "^fi? (mckets. The weather 

 during the mouth (■'as dry, the rainfall recorded at the station 

 being only 'i'i'i inches. 



