29 
such injured bolls, and a number of other insects have been sent to the 
Division of Entomology of this Department from time to time with the 
statement that they threatened damage to the crop. Among these the 
larva of a little weevil, Arecerus fasciculatus, deserves especial men- 
tion for the reason that it so closely resembles the larva of the Mexican 
cotton-boll weevil. In fact, the larve of both species are found living 
inthesame boll. Aracerus fusci ulatus is a cosmopolitan insect living in 
the pods of various plants, among others in those of the coffee plant 
in Brazil, but is never known to attack healthy plants. The perfect 
weevil is also among the various insects which are mistaken by the 
planters for the Mexican cotton-boll weevil, but its very short and 
blunt beak should at once 
distin guish it from the latter 
species. Aside from the true 
bollworm, several of the 
caterpillars found upon the 
plant will occasionally gnaw 
the bolls, but this gnawing 
is in general incidental to 
their work upon the leaves. 
One of these is a leaf roller, 
the larva of Platynota senta- 
na, which attacks the forms 
and squares, much like the 
young bollworm, afterwards 
feeding upon the leaves. A 
congeneric species (Platy- 
nota rostrana) also bores 
into the young bolls. The 
reddish larva of a little 
Tineid moth belonging to a 
group mostly composed of 
leaf apap and known ae Fie.17.—Homalodisca coagulata: a, adult female seen from 
Batrachedra rileyi, is often above; b, same, side view; c, venation of fore wing, en- 
found in the young bolls, larged ; q, antenna; e, section of hind tibia; Sf female gen- 
and is generally believed ‘lsshlimen snags ¢.rorosons of oreei rl 
by planters to act inde- 
pendently of bollworm damage. This statement, however, has not yet 
been satisfactorily substantiated so far as it refers to the bolls. In the 
young squares, however, the active little reddish larva of this Batra- 
chedra is very often found as unquestionably an original inhabitant, 
and it undoubtedly frequently causes quite an extensive shedding otf 
the squares. This, however, occurs only in the spring, at a time when 
there is a surplus of bloom and when many squares can be spared 
without great reduction of the crop. Later in the season the Batrachedra 
larva is found boring in the unopened flower heads of various weeds. 

