475 



Nietn. (Ceylonia theaecola, Buckt.) (tea aphis) ; Eriophyes {Phytoptus) 

 theae, Watt (pink mite) ; and termites. 



Other pests noticed during the year, but not mentioned in local 

 reports, are : -Comocritis pieria, Meyr. (bark-eating borer) ; Zeuzera 

 cqffeae, Nietn. (red borer) ; the scales, Fiorinia theae, Green, and 

 Chionaspis manni, Greon : and the leaf-roller, Gracilarki theivora, 

 AVlsm. 



Froggatt (W. W.). Notes on " Snow Flies " with the Description of 

 a New Species {Aleurodes albofloccosa). — Agric. Gaz. N .S.W ., 

 Sydney, xxix, no. 6, 3rd June 1918, pp. 434-436, 4 figs. 



The whiteflies (Aleurodidae) all feed on the sap of plants and there 

 are several cosmopolitan species with a very wide range. A. vapor- 

 ariorum, a European species, is common in Australia, and has been 

 introduced into many parts of the world with hot-house plants. 

 A. atriplex is another well-defined species infesting the western bush. 

 A. albofloccosa, sp. n.. is described from the foliage of Banksia and 

 several undetermined scrub trees. 



Knowles (C. H.). The Maize Leaf Miner {Phytomyza sp.). — Fiji Dept. 

 Agric, Suva, Pamphlet no. 27. 28th December 1917, 2 pp. 

 [Received 29th August 1918.] 



The species of Phytomyza here dealt with was not recorded as a pest 

 of maize prior to 1917, and then the attack was only severe in one 

 district, but it is evident that under certain conditions this miner 

 is capable of aftecting maize plants to such an extent as to prevent 

 a crop being raised. Eggs are laid in the upper surface of the maize 

 leaf, generally near the tip and m the young leaves, each egg being 

 deposited singly in a small hole that is first made in the leaf. The 

 larvae upon hatching burrow into and consume the green cellular 

 matter of the leaf, keeping just under the upper epidermis, which dies 

 and shows a white streak indicating the tracks of the larvae. The 

 mines generally run towards the tip of the leaf. When mature, the 

 larvae eat through the thin upper epidermis and escape for pupation. 

 A few pupal cases were found within the larval mines, but this is 

 exceptional. Many pupae were found in the angle between the blade 

 of the leaf and the stem of the plant. As the upper end of the maize 

 leaf hangs downwards it is likely that the larvae upon leaving the 

 food-track fall to the groimd, and the soil is probably the normal place 

 for pupation. Two species of Hymenopterous parasites have been 

 reared from the larvae, which are killed before they reach maturity. 

 The larvae of the parasites pupate within the food-track of the host 

 and reach the air by eating through the leaf epidermis. These parasites 

 are so efficient that in ordinary circumstances this maize-miner should 

 be kept under control by them. No treatment can be suggested for 

 destroying the pest. Working the soil at the base of the plants 

 would destroy many pupae, but if the plants are attacked so severely 

 as to warrant such treatment, better results would be obtained by 

 ploughing under the crop and re-planting. 



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