99 



Pests of the Oil Palm in the Portuguese Congo.— Bull. Imp. Inst., 

 London, xix, no. 2, 1921, pp. 205-207, 4 plates. 

 This information is compiled from notes received from R. Swainson- 

 Hall. 



The insect pests of the African oil palm {Elaeis guineensis) here 

 mentioned are Orvdes owariensis, 0. monoceros and 0. boas. These 

 beetles bore through the basal parts of the leaves into the tops of 

 the growing-point of the palm and enter the heart of the unfolded 

 leaves, or centre spike, working downwards. The youngest expanded 

 leaves' die off, and the leaves in the central bud generaUy unfold, 

 showing triangular cuts on each side of the central rib. Eggs are 

 laid in the soft growing-point. The larvae feed on the younger tissues 

 and top part of the palm, the whole of the centre of the top being 

 usually eaten away. The full development of 0. owariensis requires 

 about a year, but the generations are continuous, and all stages may be 

 found together. Remedial measures have not yet been tried in the 

 Congo, but the pest may possibly be controlled by the fungus 

 Metaryhizium anisopliae, used against the rhinoceros beetle [0. 

 rhinoceros] in Samoa [R.A.E., A, vii, 424]. 



Bevan (W.). Annual Report of the Director of Agriculture for the 

 Year 1920-21.— A^zcosza, Cyprus, 1921, 19 pp. 



On the 6th August 1920, Platyedra {Geleckia) gossypiella (pink 

 cotton boUworm) was added to the"^ schedule of diseases in regard to 

 which special restrictions on the importation of cotton seed and other 

 produce are imposed. 



For several years apples and other fruits have been infested with 

 ermine moth [Hyponomeuta], and although sprayers and insecticides 

 have been provided at a low cost, the population has made little use 

 of them, and the crops have in consequence greatly deteriorated. 

 Remedial measures against Cydia {Carpocapsa) pomonella (codling 

 moth) and the Chalcid, Enrytoma amygdali, infesting almonds, have 

 been continued successfully. On potatoes Phthorimaea opercidella 

 {Lita solanella) was again less destructive than in 1915. 



As a result of rewards offered for queen hornets during April and 

 May 23,000 individuals were collected. Great damage is done by hornets 

 to bees and nearly all kinds of spring and summer fruit. 



The important discovery by Mr. Storey that Aspidiotus hederae 

 is absent from the citrus plantations has been noticed elsewhere 

 [R. A.E., A, X, 1], and there is now no reason why these fruits should 

 not be imported into Egypt. 



Pests attacking olive trees are the olive moth [Prays oleellus], the 

 olive leaf -miner, an unidentified species of Aspidiotus, Zeuzera 

 pyrina (leopard moth), and the olive Psyllid [Euphyllura olivina]. 

 With the exception of Z. pyrina, these pests are unknown in Egypt. 



LicHTENSTEiN (T- L.). Sur la Biologic d'un Chalcidien.— C.i?. 



Hebdom. Acad. Sci., Paris, clxxiii, no. 17, 24th October 1921, 



pp. 733-735, 1 fig. 

 The Chalcid, Habrocvtus cionicida, sp. n., is recorded as parasitising 

 the weevil, Cionus thapsi, when the latter is in the cocoon. The egg 

 is deposited on the larva, generally only one to each host. The eggs 

 hatch in two or three davs, and the larva feeds for about seven to eight 

 days before pupating inside the host cocoon. The adults emerge in 

 about a fortnight. 



