August, '22] SCIENTIFIC NOTES 313 



The Distribution of the Pink BoUworm of Cotton, Pectinophora gossypiella Saun- 

 ders, in Porto Rico. In July, 1921, Mr. Ignacio L. Torres, a Sub-Inspector of 

 Agriculture, found a caterpillar injuring cotton bolls in plants at Humacao, Porto 

 Rico, which on examination proved to be the pink boUworm, Pectinophora gossy- 

 piella Saunders, and soon after the pest was found thruout the commercial cotton 

 growing section of the island. A careful survey of the distribution of this insect 

 was made during the past winter and spring (1922) by Mr. J. D. More, formerly of 

 the pink boUworm eradication force of the Federal Horticultural Board, and the 

 writer. 



Cotton plants or trees often occur along roads and in the yards about houses in 

 most parts of Porto Rico, but are sometimes quite rare, especially in the coffee- 

 growing mountainous districts of the interior. On such semi-domestic plants, 

 the pink boUworm occurs all around the island near the coast, except around Maya- 

 guez on the west, but it has not been found in the interior even a few miles from the 

 ocean. It was not found on plants collected at the following places: Rio Piedras, 

 Carolina, Canovanas, Rio Grande, Mameyes, Guaynabo, la Muda, Caguas, Cayey, 



Fig. 16. — Map of Porto Rico, showing Distribution of the Pink BoUworm of 

 Cotton, Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders, in the Spring of 1922, as 

 determined by J. D. More and George N. Wolcott. Black dots indicate 

 infested plants, circles uninfested plants. 



Comerio, Bayamon Plantaje (Point Sahnas), Toa Alta, Vega Alta, Manati, Ciales, 

 Villalba, Garrochales, Utuado, Adjuntas, 14 km. north of Yauco, Lares, San Sebas- 

 tian, Maricao, Mayaguez (Cerro de las Mesas), and Hormigueros. It is present 

 thruout the commercial cotton growing region, Aguadilla to Arecibo, and has spread 

 further into the interior here, to Moca on the west and to Bayaney on the east 

 (15 km. from the coast) than anywhere else. 



The most heavily infested plants seen were on the beach south of Maunabo, in 

 the southeastern part of the island, and it appears possible that its presence on the 

 east and southeast coast represents a separate infestation, either from moths blown 

 from adjacent islands, or seed washed ashore. It is supposed that the pink boU- 

 worm was brought to Porto Rico in infested seed from St. Croix before its presence 

 had been reported from that island, and thus established in commercial plantings at 

 Sabana Grande (Lajas), Aguadilla to Arecibo, at the Laguna de Tiburones near 

 Vega Baja, and on plants near the gin at Martin Pena. The infestation eastward 

 along the coast to Point Cangrejos and Loiza can be traced to seed brought from the 

 gin, as most of the plants here are uninfested. The next infestation to the east is on 

 the beach between Mameyes and Luquillo, and altho in the hills between Luquillo 

 and Fajardo the cotton is uninfested, approaching Fajardo and extending along the 

 east and south coast as far as Yauco, practically every plant is infested. On the 

 west coast, some of the plants around San German and Cabo Rojo were infested 



