THE "LONGULUS" SCALE 



D. KELL 

 HORTICULTURAL INSPECTOR 



This scale has been known in the Clareniont and Pomona district some 

 three or four years, during which time it has been steadily on the increase. It 

 can now be found extending (in that part of the county of Los Angeles which 

 lies east of San Antonio Avenue) from Fifth Street on the south, nearly to 

 the Base Line on the north, mostly scattered thinly through the groves, but 

 in certain localities focussed into serious infestations. 



In the groves thus affected the black smut due to its presence is seen to 

 cover the trees with a sooty pall. 



Name — So far, we have been given no authoritative name for this scale, 

 the name Coccus hespcriduin var. longuhis having been bestowed on it by Mr. 

 Essig (now Secretary of the State Horticultural Commission) on the assump- 

 tion that it was a variety of the Soft Brown scale. J\Ir. Essig, however, has 

 recently informed the writer that he no longer holds this view. 



Hatch — According to the writer's experience this scale has one very 

 definite hatch every year, commencing about the beginning of May, and end- 

 ing, the two years I have had it under observation, on practically the same 

 date, August 21. 



The young are born viviparously. Occasionally, on looking under a hatch- 

 ing female, I have found from one to four white, pellucid, egg-like bodies 

 among the new-born scales. I have never found these under a greater propor- 

 tion than about 5% of the old scales. I do not know whether these are the 

 eggs of the scale, or of some parasite. Exit-holes of a parasite are occasionally 

 found, but not very often. 



One finds as many as twenty-five to thirty under the old females at one 

 time, but I do not know the total number she would bring forth. Not more 

 than 200, perhaps, but this is only a guess. 



In the hatching season the old scales often vary considerably in size, giv- 

 ing the appearance of an uneven hatch, but one finds newly-born young under 

 quite small females, and I think that pr.obably all are almost equally mature. 

 At any rate, I have so far found no new-born young before May, and no live 

 adults after August 3L This would give about tlie same length of hatch as the 

 normal hatch of the black scale in this district, liut beginning and ending a 

 montli earlier in the year. 



Appearance — The newly-born scales are lively, oval in shape, rather deep 

 yellow in color. They soon settle on the young twigs and the leaves, favoring 

 es])ecially the under surface of the leaf. A few will be found along the mid- 

 rib, ])ut the majority are scattered over the under surface evenly, with fairly 

 equal distances between individual scales. A few, also, will be found on the 

 upper surface. Once they have settled down they remain quiescent. You may 



