April, '13] VAN DINE: SUGAR CANE INSECTS 251 



Description of the nymph. — Body oblong, rather flat, yellowish-white, densely 

 covered with erect white spinules. The head shows five single very prominent 

 spines. Lateral expansion of the pronotal margins and the sides of body armed with 

 stout, whitish, branched-spines, which are irregular in shape, and at the interspaces 

 are some shorter, single ones. Wing-pads quite long and the posterior triangular 

 portion of pronotum very short. Dorsal part of body ornamented with some pecu- 

 liar club-shaped processes, wliich show distinctly an opening at apex. Legs and 

 the underside of body whitish. Antennae pilose. Length, 2 mm.; width, 1 mm. 



Described from several specimens collected by Mr. F. W. Urich 

 on Sugar Cane at Santa Lucrecia, State of Vera Cruz, Mexico, Sep- 

 tember, 1911. 



This species can be distinguished at once by the straight margin 

 of the lateral expansion of the pronotum, which is in the other Central- 

 American species more or less rounded. 



THE INSECTS AFFECTING SUGAR CANE IN PORTO RICO^ 



By D. L. Van Dine, Entomologist, Experiment Station, Porto Rico Sugar Producers' 

 Association, Rio Piedras, P. R. 



Sugar cane has been cultivated in the island of Porto Rico for nearly 

 400 years. It is only within the last half of the past century, however, 

 that insect pests have been noted affecting the crop and only within 

 very recent years that certain species of insects have given concern, 

 to the sugar-cane planters. Those best informed on the subject believe 

 that the sugar-cane moth stalk-borer, Diatrcea saccharalis Fabr., was 

 introduced into the island in seed cane brought from the British West 

 Indies. It is probable that other species, previously unknown in the 

 island, were introduced in a similar manner, as for example, the leaf- 

 hopper, Delphax saccharivora Westw. ; the weevil stalk-borer, Meta- 

 masius hemipterus Linn.; the mealy-bug, Pseudococcus sacchari Ckll.; 

 and the scale-insect, Targionia sacchari Ckll. Some of these species 

 have appeared in the cane fields within the memory of those engaged 

 in the growing of sugar cane at the present time and the evidence 

 points to their having been introduced into the island along with ship- 

 ments of their host plant. 



When this station was organized a little over two years ago by the 

 Sugar Producers' Association of Porto Rico, the study of the insects 

 affecting sugar cane was one of the lines of investigation provided for. 



The writer is indebted to Sefior Agustin Navarrete for the loan of 

 a cop3^ of Dr. A. Stahl's ''Fauna de Puerto-Rico" which was published 



1 Published by permission of Mr. J. T. Crawley, Director, Experiment Station, 

 Porto Rico Sugar Producers' Association. 



