THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE GROUP. 393 



to show that the scale insect life of Hawaii levies a heavy tax on plant growth 

 in the islands. 



Foi'tnnately, the experience of the orange growers of California in their 

 successful attempts at curbing the invasion of a scale -° which had been acci- 

 dentally introduced from Australia and had spread with great rapidity, was 

 turned to account in Hawaii. The plan of checking injurious insects by their 

 natural enemies in that State, in the above instance, was so signally successful 

 that Mr. A. Koebele, who was in charge of the work, was induced to come to 

 the islands to put into operation the natural enemy method of warfare which 

 has since won many brilliant battles against the injurious insect pests in the 

 interest of the Territory. 



The L.\dybird Beetles. 



Under Mr. Koebele "s guidance, with the aid of his associates, many bene- 

 ficial insects have been brought to Plawaii from the most remote quarters of 

 the earth. Few, however, have been more generally useful in their habits than 

 those of the ladybird beetle ^'^ family. The ' ' ladybirds ' ' as they are familiarly 

 known, are small, more or less hemispherical beetles that vary greatly in color, 

 but most often are red, yellow, black or steely blue, and are usually, though 

 not always, mottled or spotted with bright colors. The larvffi are sometimes 

 spotted, but more commonly are marked with warts and spines. There are 

 more than a thousand species, some of which are found in the native fauna of 

 almost every part of the world except Hawaii. As most of the species are 

 predaceous, both m the adult and larval form, and are especially fond of the 

 plant aphids, mealy bugs and scales, their introduction into the islands has 

 teen going on steadily for years. A long list has been liberated, and the indi- 

 viduals have established themselves to such an extent that there is scarcely 

 an ornamental plant, fruit or shade tree in Hawaii on which these useful 

 insects cannot be found by a close observer, at some time during the day. The 

 more common species have suggestive, descriptive names that aid the observer 

 in his efforts to identify the insects at sight. Among those easily recognized 

 are the yellow-shouldered ladybird,-" the ten-spotted ladybird,^* the vedalia 

 ladybird,-** which was first successfully introduced from Australia into Cali- 

 fornia to feed on the Huted scale, and fi-om there l)i'ouglit to Hawaii as early as 



-* Coelophora pupiUata. 



DiSSCBiPTiON OF Plate. 



1. Kamehaineha Butterfly {Vunessa tammeamea) . 2. Kamohameha Butterfly {Vanessa 

 tammeamea) inverted. .S. Cabbage Butterly (Pontia rajxr). 4. Cabbage Butterfly (Pontia 

 1-apce) inverted. 5. Dragon Fly {Anax Junius). 6. Pantala flavescen-s. 7. Si/mpetrum 

 ilackburni. 8. Periplaneta americana. 9. Oxya velox. 10. Brachymetopa discolor. 11. 

 Xyphidiuin raripenne. 12. Atractomorplia crenaticeps. 13. Elimoea appendiculata. 14. 

 Paratenodcra sincn.'iis; (Egg case). 1.5. Paratenodera sinetusis. 16. Gryllotalpa africana. 

 ]7. Leueophwa surinanesis. 18. Eleutheroda dytiscoides. 19. Euthyrrhap}m pacifica. 20. 

 Phyllodromia hieroglyhica. 21. Eleutheroda dytiscoides. 22. Eleutheroda dytiscoides; 

 (Nympli). 23. Gryllodes poeyi. 24. Periphaneta australasiw. 2.5. Atractomorpha crenati- 

 ceps. 



■24 



