42 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Febeuaev 5, 1910. 



INSECT NOTES. 



two species 



UGANDA INSECT PESTS. 



An interesting leatiet by 'Sh: C. ('. Gowdey, B.Sc, 

 recently received, gives a lirief account of certain insect 

 pests in Uganda, and as many of the crops there are similar 

 to West Indian crops, readers of the Af/ricultiiral J\''ews 

 may be interested in the following notes. 



Cotton in Uganda is attacked by the larva of Fiodenia 

 littoralis in the same way as by the cotton worm {Alabama 

 [Aletia] anjillarea) in the AVest Indies, and the same remedies 

 are used to control it. One of the cut worms in the West 

 Indies is related to the cotton caterpillar {Prodenvt littor- 

 alis). 



The Uganda boll worm of cotton is the same as the 

 Egyptian species (Earins insnlatia), although this is not the 

 species known in the West Indies as the boll worm; its 

 hibits are identical, and the measures for its control would 

 be similar. 



The cotton stainer (Bi/sdeirus ni<jrofaiiciatux) is closely 

 related to the cotton stainers of the West Indies; it 

 attacks the plant in the same way and would be controlled by 

 the same means. The same species of Aphis, or plant louse, 

 as that known commonly in this part of the world attacks 

 cotton in Uganda 



Mr. Gowdey states that, although he has not been 

 able to find the boll-weevil {Anthovomus (jrandii) in Uganda, 

 he has been informed that it occurs there. 



The citrus trees of Uganda are attacked by several 

 of the same species of scale insects as those in the West 

 Indies, and in addition, oranges are affected by the 

 larva of a large butterfly {Pujiilio demoleiis) which feeds 

 on the leaves. In Cuba and Porto liicn, 

 of Pii/iilio are known 

 to attack oranges in 

 this way, but these insects 

 are not on record as 

 pests in the Lesser Antil- 

 les. The cacao thrips 

 {Ueliothrijn [ Physopus] 

 rnbrocinctng) occurs as 

 a pest of cacao in Uganda, 

 as well as t\e black 

 scale {Lecriiiiuin nii/riiin). 

 The latter occurs in the^ 

 West Indies on hibiscus, 

 cotton and other plants. 

 It was a very severe 

 pest on cotton in Barbados 

 for some three or four 

 years; but is at present 



very well controlled by its parasite, Zalophothrix niirum. 

 Lecaninm niijriiin [a \wi recorded as occuring on cacao in the 

 West Indies. 



Two beetles attack the leaves of the cacao; but no men- 

 tion is made of a boring insect like our Sfeinistoma depresxnia. 

 Tobacco is also attacked by two leaf-eating caterpillars. One 

 of them is I'rodeni'i littoralis, the cotton caterpillar of 

 Uganda, and the other is Protoparcc rarolimi, one of the 

 tobacco-eating hawk moths known in this part of the w-orld. 

 Cut worms are al.so among the tobacco pests of ITganda. 



Coffee is attacked by two species of scale insects, 

 Lecaniiaii nifji-um and Aspidiotus sp., and by a beetle which 

 lays its eggs in the developing flower. The grub feeds in 

 the coffee bean, and pupates in the tunnel formed by its 



feeding. Attacked coffee beans have a shrivelled appear- 

 ance, and are unfit for consumption. 



Funtumia rubber is attacked by Lecanium riride, which 

 was a serious coffee pest in Ceylon, and which during the 

 past few years has been much in evidence as a pest of limes 

 in the We^t Indies. Castilloa rubber is attacked by a long- 

 horned borer (Inesidia leprosa) \\'hich, in Egypt, is a borer of 

 the woman's tongue tree (Allnziia Lchhek). The sweet 

 potato weevil (Ci/las tonnir-u-ius) occurs as a pest in Uganda, 

 and a sweet potato caterpillar is mentioned, which feeds on 

 the leaves. The name is not given but it may be nearly 

 related to our AVest Indian potato h&wk moth (Protopnrce 

 ciivjvlata). Palms in L^ganda are attacked by many of the 

 same species of scale insects as in the West Indies and by 

 a weevil, Rhyncophorus j^hoenicis, which is similar to the 

 West Indian Rhiinrophorvs palmariim. 



Many of the miscellaneous pests are the same in Uganda 

 as in the West Indies, or are very nearly related. Ainonc 

 these are grasshoppers, plant-lice, mole crickets, scale insects, 

 flea beetles, and the pests of domestic animals, etc. 



The white auts (Termites) are more abundant and more 

 descructive in Uganda than in these small, and compara- 

 tively dry islands. Not only do they attack the dry wood in 

 buildings, etc., and the dead wood in trees, but kill jiving 

 trees. Many of the African termites are builders and 

 their enormous mounds or nests are conspicuous features 

 of the landscape. 



The Sweet Potato Weevil. {Cylas formicdrius.) 



Specimens of a small beetle were recently received at 

 the Head Office of the Imperial iJepartment of Agriculture 

 from British Guiana, and were believed to be Ci/lds formicar- 



ius, a pest of sweet pota- 

 tos. This sweet potato 

 weevil was mentioned in 

 the article on the scarabee 

 '>f the sweet potato in the 

 West Indian Bulletin,. 

 Vol. X, Xo. 2, where the 

 statement was made that 

 the insect was known 

 as a ])est in the tiouth- 

 ern United States and 

 .Taiuaica. A few of the 

 ilritish Guiana speci- 

 mens were sent to Pro- 

 fessor AV, Newell, Secre- 

 tary of the Louisiana 

 State crop pest commis- 

 Fk;. 19. Sweet Potato Weevil. {Cylas formiearius.) sion, who states that they 



are the sweet potato weevil, C. Jormicarius, as believed, and 

 that it has been recorded as being found in Barbados. 



The sweet potato weevil which is abundant in Barbados 

 is the scarabee {Cryptorhyiu-hus l'atiitae),a.nd since the estab- 

 lishment of the Imperial Department of Agriculture. Cylas 

 forinicarivs has never been reported in any of the Lesser 

 Antilles 



It might be stated that Cylas forinicarius occurs in 

 many far-distant parts of the world, in addition to the 

 American localities already mentioned. One of these far- 

 distant localities is mentioned in the preceding article on 

 this page, LTganda Insect Pests, where it is stated that 

 Cylas formicarius occurs as a pest of sweet potatos ia 

 that country. 



