THE RUTHERGLEX FLY-PEST. 105 



CHAPTER XYIL 



THE RUTHERGLEN FLY-PEST. 



( R/u/p a roch rom us sp . ) 



Order : Hemiptera Heteroptera. Family : Lygicdcv. 



A small insect belonging to the so-called "Wood Bugs" 

 owing, I snppose, to the fact of the common House Bug 

 belouo'ino; to the same natural order of insects. This 

 comparatively new pest is about two lines in length, the 

 body being of a light greyish-brown, but after nearly black. 



Antennae, or "feelers," barely two-thirds the length of 

 the body, and covered with fine hairs. Wings quite 

 transparent. Legs dirty yellowish white. Underneath 

 the insect (see Plate XII., Fig. 2) can be seen the 

 rostrum or beak, with which instrument the damage is 

 done by piercing the fruit as described hereafter. 



This Bug, the species name of which has not yet been 

 determined, belongs to the family of Ly^iceche^ and closely 

 resembles in appearance the False Chinch Bug (JVj/sius 

 angustatus) of North America, to which insect the 

 "Rutherglen Pest" is closely allied. In America, the 

 damage done by the latter insect is very great, and I 

 have to thank my friend, Mr. West, our irrigation expert, 

 for his thoughtfulness in sending me the specimens of 

 the * "False Chinch Bug" from America for comparison 

 and observation. 



In the British Museum collection, there are no less than 

 thirteen different kinds of the genus Rliyparochronius^ 

 labelled as having been sent from Australia, so that it is 

 quite possible that we have to deal with a native insect, 

 and not with an imported one. The common name of 

 this insect is now so well-known, that I have hesitated to 

 alter it, although, probably a much more approi)riate name 

 might have been adopted. 



* Mathew Cooke calls the latter Nymin dei^tructor, which name is possibly 

 a synonym of iV. angustatus. 



