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NOTES ON SOME INSECT PESTS OF TRINIDAD, BRITISH WEST INDIES. 
By F. W. URicnu, Trinidad. 
[ Read, in the author's absence, by J. B. Smith. | 
In treating of the insect pests of Trinidad we must divide them 
into two groups, viz: The garden pests, which make themselves felt 
principally during the dry season (January to April), and the agricul- 
tural pests, which are more numerous during the rainy season, which 
is so conducive to the development of insects. In fact, an entomolo- 
gist’s season lasts as long as it.rains, which in Trinidad is from May or 
June to December, and sometimes longer. With the luxuriant vege- 
tation we have here, unless the insect attacks are very severe they do 
not seem to attract any attention from the inhabitants. This apathy 
is most detrimental to our gardens, for the constitutions of many valua- 
ble plants are weakened and they fall easy victims the minute the pests 
get the upper hand. 
For the names of most of the insects referred to I am indebted to 
Prof. C. V. Riley. Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell kindly gave me the names 
of the Coccide. 
Amongst the garden pests the Coccidie are most conspicuous, and 
seem to thrive best during the dry season. I have collected about 
twenty species, all from different gardens about Port of Spain and St. 
Anns, a description of which will be published elsewhere by Mr. T. D. 
A. Cockerell, and no doubt some more will turn up in the course of 
time. The commonest Coccid in the gardens is the Orthesia insignis Del. 
which seems to have a great liking for Crotons, Eranthemum, and other 
decorative foliage plants. I do not think that I shall be making a bold 
assertion in saying that there is hardly a garden in this island in which 
this insect does not oceur. A Lecanium sp. found principally on 
Hibiscus and Lecanium hemisphericum, are also pretty common about 
the gardens, doing considerable damage. The following genera of 
Coccide are represented about the gardens sometimes by several species: 
Aspidiotus. Vinsonia. 
Asterolecanium. Ischnaspis. 
Chionaspis. Pinnaspis. 
Lecanium. Orthesia. 
Mytilaspis. Icerya. 
Pulvinaria. Planchonia. 
- 
As tar as the other genera of the Hemiptera are concerned Sipho- 
nophora sp. ? near glauca, Buckley and an Aphis sp. are well represented, 
but seem to disappear as soon as the rainy season sets in. Cerataphis 
lutanie is not very rare and spoils many a pretty palm about the gar- 
dens. A Tingitid, Corythuca near ciliata, also found on the castor 
bean, seems to have a liking for Dahlias, leaves of which plant it soon 
