PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIED E^STOMOLOGICAL MEETIiNO 33 



2.— ANNOTATED LIST OF INDIAN CROP-PESTS. 



£y T. Bainbrigge Fletcher, R.N., F.L.S., F.E.S., F.Z.S., Imperial 



Entomologist. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



FORMICID.^. 



The Formicid^ coiTiprise the Ants, of which comparatively few species Mr. Fletcher, 

 clo damage directly to cultivated plants although numerous species do 

 indirect damage by protecting Scale-insects and other noxious Rhynchota 

 which suck plant-juices and exude honey-dew, and also other insects 

 .such as Lycsenid laivas. 



(Ecophylla smaragdina, Fb. 



F. I., Hym. II., 311, f. 93. 



Occurs throughout the whole of the Plains of India, Burma and Ceylon, 

 ■wherever trees grow, and is often a source of considerable annoyance 

 to fruit-gatherers, especially in the case of mango trees. It is also a 

 decided pest by its habit of protecting noxious scale-insects. On the 

 other hand, it is extensively insectivorous and does some good by des- 

 troying large numbers of caterpillars, beetles, etc. On the whole it 

 seems to do more harm than good and must certainly be included here 

 -as a pest. The nests may be burnt off the trees but it is very difficult 

 to reduce their numbers permanently. 



Holcamyrmex scahriceps, Mayr. 



F. I., Hym. II., 282-283, f. 84. 



This species occurs irregularly throughout the Plains of India (except 

 Assam), but is not recorded from Burma or Ceylon. We have speci- 

 mens from Pusa, Lyallpur, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Lahore, Kasur, 

 Chakwal, Shahpur, Zafiarwal Tehsil (Punjab), Hangu (N.-W. F. P.), 

 Chakradharpur and Coimbatore. 



This is the common Harvesting Ant of India and in some wheat- 

 growing districts it does a certain amount of damage by carrying off 

 ripe grains and storing these in its nest below ground. Indeed, in such 

 areas, in times of famine, it is usual to dig out these nests and to recover 

 the grain, which is stored away in som.e quantity. i 



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