286 



TIIK AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



August 28, 1915. 



FUNGUS NOTES. 



THE ENTOMOGENOUS FUNGI OF PORTO 



RICO. 



In view of tli 



i lly, the issue of a bulletin 

 on i I orto Rico is a « i ent. 



It i Coi missioners of Agriculture 



in 1 1 . Las been prep a 



by Mr. John R. Jo o the Si 



summary of the author's 

 anm thus given will pr ibably 



lecies 

 in plai hitherto gone unnol 



The Aphis I ■ its albus) foi ms a woolly 



whi I ellowish ■ the plant lice on 



sug i "ill ( kra. i Ilosely 



ambles the shield scale fungus (Cephalospo inn). 



Brown fungus ol w bite Blj (A: g i ta ll ■ ■ 1 1 i, well 



known from the attention it has received in Florida, occurs 



verj i ii Porto Rico bul is abundant where il is found. 



I . svn, usually sterle, rounded cushion enclosing 



Of the difficult A schersonia group the following three 

 been recognized: — 



The Red Fungus of White Fly (A. aleyrodis), is recorded 



as c ion the guava white fly. Characterized by its 



brighl red colour at maturity. 



The Top-shaped Aschersonia (A. turbinata) is regarded 

 by the author as probably including the various hemis 

 pherical, cylindrical and top-shaped forms. 



It may be added that a fungus regarded as this species, 

 assuming in its most developed condition the form of one or 

 more cups oi led cylinders situated on a circular 



cushion, is fairly common on scale insects in the wetter 

 islands of the Lesser Antilles. 



The Lemon-yellow Fungus of White Fly (A. fiavo 

 citrina) is recordi d 8 common on the guava white fly. 



A fourth Aschersonia, not identified, with an ascigerous 

 stage probably belonging to Ilypochrella, is described from 



imens on a white fly on Bignonia. 



The fellow-green Fungus of Mealy-bug, familiar on 

 Psi i ciilceolarine under the leaf-sheaths of sugar-cane 



in the West [ndies, and known also iii Louisiana and Hawaii, 

 has been the subject of considerable enquiry on the part of 

 Dr. Charles Thorn and the author. Material and descriptions 



from various m pared with .each other 



i with material ol Aspergillus flaws, Link, from sources 



with the result that Thorn regards 



thi cap ible ol being grouped under 



thai including th Eorm described as new by 



Mr. A. T Spearein Eawaii under the name of A. pat asiticus. 



The Green Fungu Grs s-worm (Botrytis rileyi) 



iterpillars. 

 The author thinks it ness ild be 



incn i tificial disl i il 



The Sh is 



common in P I cale of m I the 



hem I ealj 



I (F. W. South) 

 with Porto ] naterial shows them 



n hairy i 



An Empusa, thought to be E./n been obtained 



Fr nealy-bugs which were dead, blackened, covered with 



i thin whitish coating, ily crumbled to p 



E. spho m has occurred on caterpillars in breeding 



ted in 

 the field. 



The Spider Fungi given as 



not uncommon on the small jumping spiders of guava 

 i in ibdomen ol the insect is covered by bright yellow 

 or gnu myceli i fron ivhicl i cj lin 



drical l pi rm found in < 



[he peri hecia are yellow ish, 

 aero 

 rounded at the upper end. about 1 mm. 



The Moth Borer I i ccurs in 



Porto Rico collections so far only in its Isaria condition, 

 the form usuallj found e| e\i Ik > in the Wi 



An Isaria occurs on colonies ol mealy bugs, which turn 

 and show a thin white incru The frui 



tions are rare, and | a found. 



The well-known Green Muscardine Fungus (M 

 ium anisopliai i has been found m 



thai it i >ci m iiiticial 



introduction from J [awaii. 



The Black Fungus | .'/■ White-h aded 



Fungus (Ophionecti la), and Red-headed Fungus 



(Sphaerostili'i' coccophila) it mmon in Porto Rico as 

 elsewhere in the more humid of the West Indian islands on 

 the scales of citrus trees. 



The Cinnamon Fungus i Verticillium heterocladum) lias 

 twice been found, on an undetermined host. 



THE USE OF FUNGOUS PARASITES IN 

 SCALE INSECT CONTROL. 



From the July number of the Monthly Bulletin, 

 California, it appears that some embarrassment has been 

 caused to agricultural officers by commercial claims to 

 successful treatment of black scale with a JBBgons parasite, 

 a species of Isaria. This has led to a I'm ligation by 



a committee of experts who report that they find no evidence 

 of the success of artificial inoculation. 



The following summary presents the conclusions reached 

 on this matter by Messrs II. -I Quayle and A. R.Taylor:— 



'1. The effect of Isaria fungus growing under suitable 

 i'o 'lit ions in a moist chamber, either in the labmuton "r the 

 field, was found to kill a fair percentage of thc^Bk scale. 



'2. The results in attempting to disseminate {he fungus 

 artificially under natural conditions in the Held, at least at 

 the season indicated, have been whollj i 



'.'!. I'o ini ob ervat ions madi in the i at ious groves 



where the fungus has been disseminated commercially, there is 



absolutely no evidence, thus far, to show thai the fungus has 

 a of any importance whatever in checkii des. 



'I. When- natural conditi favourable for the 



development of th Eung in the districts contiguous to 



i-i in Santa Barbara * ity, th I -aria will kill more 



or less of the bla bul the field where it would thrive 



I, if at all. by attempts at artificial 

 ruination. 



'5. From our recent experiments and observatioi 

 well asgeneral obsen m this fungus since 1908, 



the v. i just die I in extern i growers no 



hope that tin- fungus will keep their trees free, from the 



W.N. 



