534 



Meyeick (E.). Exotic Microlepidoptera. ii, pt. 2, October 1920, 

 pp. 321-352. [Published by the author, Marlborough, Wilts. 

 Price 3s.] 



The new species described include the Xyloryctid, Ptochoryctis 

 cJialazopa, bred from a larva feeding on bark of Hevea in Java ; and the 

 Tortricids, Tortrix {Cacoecia) isocyrta, bred from larvae in shoots of 

 lucerne (Medicago) in Bengal ; T. (C). pomivora, bred from larvae 

 that bore into fruits of apple in the Himalayas in the same way as 

 Cydia (Laspeyresia) pomonella, and are serious local pests ; and Peronea 

 agrioma, bred from a larva on apple in Assam. \ 



Childs (L.). Spray Gun versus Rod and Dust in Apple Orchard 

 Pest Control. — Oregon Agric. Expt. Sta.. Corvallis, Bull. 171, Julv 

 1920, 46 pp., 17 figs. [Received 26th October 1920.] 



Much of the information contained in this bulletin has been recently 

 noticed [R.A.E. ,A, viii, 462]. Useful tables of the cost of spraying 

 typical orchards with various insecticides are given. 



Grandi (G.). Studio morphologico e biologico della, Blasiophaga psenes, 

 L. [A morphological and biological Study of Blastophaga psenes.] — 

 Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Agrar., B. Scuola Sup. Agric, Portici, xiv, 

 15th August 1920, pp. 63-204, 31 figs. [Received 1st October 



1920.] 



Blastophaga psenes, L., is the type of a genus including some 30 

 species distributed throughout the world. It lives in the receptacles 

 of Ficus carica, which is said to occur in a zone extending from 

 Afghanistan to the Canary Islands between the 25th and 42nd degrees 

 of north latitude. 



A brief description of the adults is followed by a study of their 

 morphology and of that of the egg, larva, and pupa. The life-history 

 of this species has been much discussed, but Mayer in 1882 and Howard 

 in 1900 are the only zoologists who have dealt with it. Most of the 

 hterature is therefore unreliable. Among the exceptions is the work 

 of Longo (1905-1918). 



The section on the biology of B. psenes is prefaced by notes on the 

 inflorescences and flow^ering of the "' Caprifico," the form of Ficus 

 carica in which the insects develop and in which the male flowers are 

 formed. During the year three kinds of receptacles appear. The 

 first develops in spring and matures at the end of spring or in summer ; 

 the second develops in summer and matures at the end of summer or 

 in autumn ; and the third develops in autumn, remains on the tree 

 in winter, and matures in the following spring. 



At Portici (Naples) the adults of the third generation of B. psenes 

 may appear at the end of March, but April — or even the first half of 

 May — is more usual. It should, however, be noted that in the case 

 of this and all other generations the emergence of the adults from the 

 receptacles on a given tree does not always correspond with the matur- 

 ing of the receptacles of the succeeding flowering of the same tree or 

 adjacent trees. In such cases the first inflorescences of a given flower- 

 ing are not visited by the jnsect, though ready matured for it, and they 



