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pest is very common in the State of S. Paulo and also attacks areca 

 and other palms. The destruction of infested parts is the only remedy. 

 Other weevils attacking indigenous palms are Homalonotus coriaceus, 

 Gyl., H. deplanatus, Sahib., Sphenophorus ensirostris, Germ., Rhyncho- 

 phorus palmarwn, L., and Acharias parens y Fhs. ; these may also be 

 able to attack the coconut, 



Chrysomelid beetle pests include Alurnus marginatus, Guer., which 

 does considerable injury to coconuts through the larvae feeding on 

 the tender leaves in the bud. Leaves already developed are injured 

 in the cortical parenchyma of the petioles right down to the woody 

 tissues, so that decortication results with subsequent rotting. The 

 internal or upper surface of the petiole is the most affected, as rain 

 penetrates into the wounds carrying infective germs with it. A. mar- 

 ginatus may be the chief disseminator of bud-rot by facilitating the 

 incubation of Bacillus coll. The larva usually remains in the same 

 spot, continuing to feed in the wound first made by it, and attaches 

 itself to the petiole in order to pass the pupal stage. The adult 

 emerges at all seasons and there may be several generations during the 

 course of a year. The adult measures 28 to 30 millimetres in length 

 and 13 to 14 millimetres in breadth. Brazilian palms, such as Cocos 

 romanzoffiana, are attacked by the larvae of Alurnus i-maculatus, Guer., 

 and A. corallinus, Yig. ; these larvae closely resemble those of the 

 preceding species. The larva of A. corallinus has also been observed 

 in coconuts in the State of Bahia. 



Injurious Lepidoptera include : — Caligo eurilochus, Cram., the larvae 

 of which devour the leaves of the banana by night, hiding by day. 

 Collection of the larvae or spraying with Paris green are the controls 

 advised. Bromelia ananas, L. (pineapple) is attacked by Hypolycaena 

 philippus, F.,* both young and mature fruit being injured. The plants 

 should be inspected, preferably in the morning, in November and 

 December and the larvae should be removed and killed. Both Cucumis 

 sativus (cucumber) and Cucumis melo (melon) are attacked by the larva 

 of Zinckenia {Margarania) nitidalis, Cram. The cucumber is mined 

 in the part in which the seeds occur, while in the melon the fleshy part 

 is affected. When the larv^a is young it feeds on the leaves. On 

 attaining full growth the larva leaves the fruit and passes about 

 10 days in the chrysalis stage. Spraying with Paris green, 1 in 2,000, 

 when the first flowers appear, and repeating the applications a few times 

 will control this pest. In the case of the cucumber, the skin of which 

 is eaten, treatment should be discontinued when the fruits are formed. 



Among the Diptera, Acanfhomera picta, Wied., is a pest of many 7^ 

 trees. The fly oviposits on the bark and the larvae penetrate into the 

 trunk, sometimes boring through its entire diameter, always trans- 

 versely and never in a vertical direction. The mines are open at the 

 ends for the expulsion of the evil-smelling excreta. The nymphal 

 stage is passed in the mine. The adults are over 2\ inches in length. 

 Indigenous trees are attacked, but the chief injury is done to imported 

 species. The same control methods as those adopted in Europe against 

 the larvae of Cossus cossus are advised. Water-melons are attacked 

 by the larvae of the water-melon fly. 



* This species has probably been wrongly identified, for H. philippus is 

 a purely African butterfly, and the genus Hypolycaena is not known to 

 occur in South America. — Ed. 



