THE COTTON LEAF-BUO. 



45 



Fig. 27. — Cotton boll showing^ 

 punctures of Calucorls rapi- 

 dus (author's illustration). 



on the bloAsoms and bolls, especially just after the ])los.soiu has fallen. Planters 



^itated that this injury prevents squares from blossoming and that they drop. At 



this time but few squares were being injured, but planters stated that the bugs had 



been very much more abundant and injurious a fortnight previous. In the flower 



they feed at the base of the petals, causing it to wilt and drop. The small bolls fed 



upcm dry up and drop off, while if the larger ones are 



much injured thej^ become soft and mushy; some of them 



continue to grow on one side, the punctured side being 



found dead and discolored. The insect appeared about 



the middle of July at Wolfe City, and is stated to have 



done some damage in 1903. During the next ten days 



fields were visited at Commerce, Ennis, Crisp, Cooper, 



and Enloe, and at all of these places conditions were 



found much the same as those described above. Most of 



the damage seemed to have been done to late cotton and 



to the young bolls just after the blossoms had dropped. 



The adult bug- is a quick flyer and is difiicult 

 to capture when disturbed, though it flies but a 

 short distance, usually to the next row or for 

 a few yards onl}^ The nymphs are swift run- 

 ners and are most common on the youn^ squares. 

 No eggs were secured, but a ver}" small n^miph 

 not over 2 or 3 days old, which had probably molted but once, was 

 taken September 8. It molted September 16, 19, and 24, when it 

 became adult. Another young njniiph was taken September 24, molted 

 September 28, October 3 and 8, when it became adidt. The complete 

 life cycle probabh' does not occupy over thirty days. 



Practically nothing is known of the habits of this species earlier in 

 the season. Two specimens were taken at trap light at College Sta- 

 tion April 18, and one was received from Wise, Tex., June 1, 1903. 

 At Terrell, the first specimen was taken at trap light June 17, 1904. 

 Later, on July 3, three were taken; on the 7th, 4; 8th, 5; 9th, 4; 10th, 5; 

 14th, 6; and 26th, 4. 



Where the bugs fed upon the bolls there appeared around each punc- 

 ture a black spot, much like the early stages of anthracnose (fig. 27). 

 To determine definitely whether or not this was produced by the punc- 

 tures of the bugs, six of these were placed on a young cotton plant 

 about 8 inches high October 1. Five days later the plant was dead 

 from the injury. October 7 six bugs were placed in a bag over a 

 fair-sized boll, perfectly green; by the 10th it was well covered with 

 the black marks made by the bugs. To make certain of the nature of 

 the injury, bolls were submitted to Dr. A. F. Woods, Pathologist 

 and Physiologist of this Department, who reported: "These resemble 

 somewhat the earl}' stages of anthracnose, but we have been unable to 

 find any fungus present, and the spots have not enlarged or developed 

 any fungus even after several da^'s in a moist chamber."''' There is no 



