PSYCHE. 



91 



II. Biological Obser\-ations. 



BY A. L. Q_UAIXTANCE, FLA. AGR. EXP. STA. 



( 1 ) Pseiidophilippia qnaintancii ■ — 

 I first observed this insect April ic, 

 1S97, at Lake City, Florida. The top- 

 most branches of a large pine {Pinus 

 australis) that had recently been cut 

 down was found to be badly infested. 

 The insects were crowded thickly 

 around the more tender growth, and 

 from their abundant excretion of cot- 

 tony substance were quite conspicuous 

 for some distance away. Abundant 

 honey-dew is excreted, which in some 

 cases had formed a mediiun for the 

 growth of " black fungi '\Meliola spp.). 

 In several of these instances the entire 

 cottony mass of a colony of these insects 

 was quite black. Since this species was 

 first noticed, it has been observed on 

 quite young pines of the same species 

 as above. It seems to be quite gen- 

 erally distributed in this locality. 



(2) LecanhiDi parvicornc. — This 

 insect has been collected from Pinus 

 taeda and Pinus australis here at Lake 

 City. A group of young pine trees 

 {P. taeda) were observed to be some- 

 what dwarfed and sickly. A close in- 

 spection revealed the presence of this 

 scale in considerable numbers — pos- 

 sibly the cause of the stunted appear- 

 ance of the tree's. The adult scales 

 inhabit the more terminal branches, 

 probably last years growth. The 

 young scales were crawling around in 



great abundance when first observed, 

 April 10. At tliis date, April 22, tiiey 

 have liecome fixed, mainly to the ten- 

 der shoots which h:n'e grown during 

 the present }'ear. These are frequently 

 quite covered by them. 



The scale has been found less abiui- 

 dantly on Pitius australis than on P. 

 taeda. Professors Roelfs and Webber 

 have observed this scale at Tallahassee, 

 Florida. 



(3) Lecaniiitn tessellatuvi Sign., 

 var. perforatum (Newst).( — Collected 

 from leaves of Eugenia jahibos in the 

 greenhouse of the Agric. Exp. Station. 

 Plants infested were recently purchased 

 from a nurseryman in the southern por- 

 tion of the State. 



(4) Asterolecanium pusttilans. — 

 Sent in by a correspondent from Bre- 

 vard Co. Fla., who reported it as very 

 injurious to his fig trees. That this 

 scale is verv severe on the fig tree there 

 can be but little doubt. Infested twigs 

 were abnormallv thickened, and cov- 

 ered thicklv with shallow pits inhab- 

 ited by tlie older scales. Scales of 

 varying ages were to be observed on 

 the same twig, from crawling young, to 

 adults. 



(5) Aspidiotus perseae. — Abundant 

 on the lower surface of leaves of ]\Iagno- 

 lia glauca. More sparingly found on 

 leaves of Ilex opaca. 



