627 



with scale-insects and when these are killed by fungus parasites in wet 

 years, the number of ants diminishes. The staple crops of the Colony 

 (coconut and vanilla) are not seriously affected. Carbon bisulphide 

 cannot bo used for the destructiori of the ants in trap boxes owing to 

 the difficulty of importing such a dangerous substance, or of producing 

 it on the spot in the absence of iron pyrites. Broafl bands of sticky 

 substances are being used witfi success. The following measures are 

 advocated : burning all dead leaves and branches which harbour nests 

 of ants the whole year round, and clearing weeds from the coconut 

 plantations, with the exception of lawn grass, which by the network 

 of its roots and stems seems to form a natural obstacle to the journey.^ 

 of the ants from one part of the field to another. 



Pierce (W. D.). Some Sugar-Cane Root-Boring Weevils of the West 

 Indies. — Jl. Agric. Research, Washington, D.C., iv, no. 3, June 

 1915, pp. 255-263, 4 plates. 



The genus Diaprepes, popularly known as sugar-cane root-borers, 

 is one of the most important gi'oups of economic weevils in the West 

 Indies ; it is mainly confined to the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. 

 Some of the species exhibit local variations in the different islands, 

 and the author treats the following forms as merely local races of 

 D. spengleri, L. D. spengleri marginatus, 01., is only recorded from 

 St. Croix ; D. spengleri comma. Boh., ranges from the Dominican 

 Republic and Porto Rico to Dominica ; typical examples of 

 D. spe7igleri, L., are only found in Porto Rico ; D. spengleri abbreviatus, 

 L., occurs in Porto Rico, Montserrat, Dominica and Barbados ; 

 D. spengleri denuclatus, var. n., has been obtained only from Guade- 

 loupe ; D. spengleri fesliviis, F., occurs in Barbados aiid St. Vincent. 

 D.famelicns, 01., of which D. esuriens, Gyll. is treated as a synonym 

 by the author, occurs in Montserrat, Dominica and St. Kitts, where 

 it attacks sugar-cane. 



[It is to be regretted that the author has adopted the name 

 D. spengleri for the destructive root-borer of sugar-cane, seeing that 

 D. abbreviatus, L., is not only the older and therefore more correct 

 name, but is also already in general use in the West Indies. 

 The name abbreviatus should therefore be substituted for spengleri in 

 all the foregoing trinomials, while spengleri itself should stand as 

 D. abbreviatus spengleri. D. esuriens cannot properly be treated as 

 identical with D. famelicus (from Guadeloupe), being probably a local 

 race of that species. — Ed.] 



Wadsworth (J.T.). Notes on some HymenoptBrous Parasites bred from 

 the Pupae of Chortophila brassicae, Bouch6, and Acidia heruclei, L, 

 — Ann. App. Biol., London, ii, nos. 2 & 3, July 1915. pp. 158-161. 



The following parasites are recorded as having been reared from the 

 pupae of C brassicae : The Ichneumons, Phggadeuon fuinator, Grav., 

 and Atractodes tenebricosus, Grav. {vestalis. Hal.) aiul the Cynipid, 

 Cothonaspis {Eucoila) rapae, Westw. ; from the pupae of Acidia 

 heraclei (celery fly) : the Ichneumon, Hemiteles erassicornis, Grav. 

 ( = ? subzo}iatus, Grav.) and the Braconid, Adelura apii, Curtis. The 

 first four species do not appear to have been previously recorded from 

 these Dipterous hosts. 



(C215) a2 



