218 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



July 11, 1908. 



INSECT NOTES. 



Strength of Hardbacks. 



In ,-in article on Hardbacks (see Af/rici'ltoral Neics, 

 Vol. IV, p. 42), a series of experiments was described 

 in whicli trials were made of the strength of individuals 

 of this ii]iecies (Ligi/ri's tumidii-<ius). As a result ot 

 these trials, it was found that a hardback, harnessed 

 with a piece of thread to a can^, was able to draw 

 a load weighing l.j'48 times its own weight. 



Ill a second test, a hardback placed under an inverted 

 glass dish was able to jiusli a load 141 times its own weight. 



Ill a third trial, a hardljack was able to move a load equal 

 to 400 times its own weight. In this trial the insect was 

 jilaceJ under a .small metal bnx wjiich was .so .shallow 

 that it rested directly on the beetle, and tlif h.ad was partly 

 carried and partly dragged. 



In a trial more recently made, it was t'ouud that 

 the figures already published gave no adequate idea of the 

 real strength of this .small insect. A beetle weighing 0'3.52 

 grammes v.-as placed under a glass paiJer weight which had 

 a hollow on the under side The thickness of the beetleV 

 body was greater than the dejith of the hcdlow in the glass, 

 so that when one end of the ]japei- weight rested heavily 

 on the in.sect the other end rested on the table. As the 

 in.sect showed its ability t<> move the ])a))er weight, ad<litioiud 

 weights were added until a load of .t 1 8-() grammes was moved. 

 This load was actually moved forward, not twisted about, so 

 that the whole Indk must be cunsideted to have been moved. 



The proportion of weight of in.sect (0'."5.52 grammes), to 

 the weight of load, .518"6|grammes, is found to be 1 to about 

 3,473. In other words, the hardback moved a load 1,473 

 times its own weight. Thi.s is a record of remarkable strength. 

 This great strength has ' probably been develojicd in these 

 insects to meet the requirements of their habits of life. The 

 liardl>ack grub lives in the soil and after pupation in the eartli 

 the ailult iiuds it necessary to force its way to the surface, 

 and to iu-coniplisli this n>i|uires the exertion of a great anioiinl 

 of strength. 



Revision of Names of Scale Insects. 



All article on the popular names of insects 

 appeared in the Ai/ric'idtand Nt'ir.s for April S, lilO.') 

 (see Vol. IV, p. 10(i), in which it was pointed out that 

 the 'common names vary in different localities, bub tiie 

 scientific or technical ii,ames were constant in all coun- 

 tries. It hajipens, hoxyever, from time to time that 

 changes are necessary in the technical names of insects, 

 but these changes shopld always he based on careftd 

 study and should be in accordance with ctTtain fi.xed 

 rules. 



A short time ago a' C<ittdo(jii<: nj' tfu: Coccidae of the 

 Worhl was published by Mrs. Fernald of Amherst, Mass., in 

 ■which many changes werw- made in the technical names of 

 this extremely important group of in.sects. These changes in 



nomenclature have come about in support of the law of 

 jjriority, which is that the first-published technical name 

 given to any insect shall stand as the name of the species, 

 provided the publication of the name is accompanied by 

 a description sufficiently complete, so that other entomolo- 

 gists can identify insects of the species by means of the 

 description. 



It will readily be seen from this that revisions in the 

 nomenclature of any groups of insects will be necessary from 

 time to time in the natural order of events. The earliest 

 published accounts of any species may be overlooked until 

 some specialist makes a complete study of the litei-ature r)f 

 the grou]) on which he may be working, and establishes the 

 first published . recognizable description. Again, it may 

 happen that workers in different parts of the world may 

 describe the same insect at nearly the .same time, and that in 

 this way more than one name may come to be known for the 

 same species. In both these ways confusion is brought about, 

 and it liecomes neces.sary to have a day of reckoning and to do 

 away with dujilication of names. 



It hapiiens also that certain workers are given to break- 

 ing u].> groups of insects, and others to combining groups, 

 and this also brings about other changes in names. In ca.ses 

 like these, liowever, it sometimes happens that alteration 

 is made when .it is not neces.sary, so that it is well to 

 bi- cautious ill adopting such changes. The names used in 

 the (.'atalogue alreadj' mentioned have been very generally 

 adopted, and as' they are tho.se that appear in nearly all 

 entomological and agricultural papers to designate these 

 insects, it is suggested that they be adopted for use in the 

 West Indies, and a list is given herewith of a few of the best 

 known of the scale insects in these i.dands. with the names 

 under which they were foinicrly known, the revised names, 

 and the i-oniinon names. 



I'lidcr this revised scheme the orange mus.sel .scale 

 ( Mi/h/tisjiix ritrii-ii/n) IS now known as Li'judoixi/i/ie.i liuckil, 

 the cotton shield scale [LcraiiiuM iiir/nitii) as Saisxetia ni'jra^ 

 the mango shield scale (Lfniniiiiii iiiiin'/ifeiue) as Coccus 

 iiniiniijrnu , the common mealy bug (Dtirti/lnpixs rifri) as 

 J'xiniiococciix ritri, the cotton white scale {C/iionnapi.t iinuor) 

 as //(■jiiirhioiinxpi.i minor, and the black line scale (Inc/ni/ispis 

 fi/ltoriiiis) as hclniiispis /om/iruxfrix. 



In future publications of the Imiicrial Department of 

 Agriculture when any reference is made to insects whose 

 technical names have lately been altered, the old name, printed 

 in Roman type, will accompany the new, initil the new lias 

 become so well . known that it is no longer considered 

 necessary. Thus the orange mussel .scale {Lcpiiilosnplii'x licrhii 

 I .Mytilaspis citricola]) indicates that Lepifhixuphtx hirkii has 

 replaced Mi/tiloxpis citricola. 



Other examples are the common mealy bug {Psitii/ococciix 

 I l)a<lyloj)ius] ri/r'i) indicating that Pxciiilor<H-ciis ha.s replaced 

 Ihirl iilapiiix, and the lilack line scali' {Jxclmnxpix /oiii/iroitrix 

 I filiforniis]) indicating that /niii/irostrix has vc]>\;iccd tili/orinis. 



An < )iiler ill-Council recently made in Cirenada, enacts 

 that no animal arriving at the island from St. Vincent shall 

 lie allowed to land unless it is accompanied by a certificate 

 from the (lovernment \'cterinary Surgeon of St. Vjncent, 

 l(-stifying that tliei animal has been kept in quarantine for at 

 least fourteen da\s immediately before shipment, and that 

 it has undergoneiefticient vaccination during the previous 

 twelve months. Further, the fothler provided for the animal 

 on board must not liave come from an area infected with 

 anthrax. 



