()4 FROGHOPPER BLIGHT OF SUGAR-CANE. 



It is attacked by many of the parasites of the sugar-cane froghopper 

 including the Syrphid fly, the vermilion parasite and the Mermis worm 

 {see later). In British Guiana I found nymphs of this species on the 

 roots of sugar-cane in some small cultivations in the forest but in 

 Trinidad it has not been seen on cane. It has never been recorded as 

 causing any injury and, in so far as it acts as an alternative host for 

 parasites of the sugar-cane froghopper, and so tides them over periods 

 when this is scarce, its presence is rather of value than the reverse. 



Tomaspis guppyi, Urich. This species first described bj' Urich 

 (1913 C. p. 30j is very closely related to T. tristis, known to damage 

 sugar-cane in Surinam. In Trinidad however, T. guppyi has never 

 been found on cane and is indeed extremely rare, being apparently 

 confined to the south-western promontory in the district of Point Fortin, 

 Erin, Chatham, and Piilo Seco. It is a large species, dark brown in 

 colour with six orange sjDots on each wing running across in two irregular 

 bauds. The two sexes are similar. 



The first nymphs were discovered in Januarj' 1917. on the Erin- 

 Point Fortin road. Only three were found and two were in froth masses 

 on a coarse grass (Pa^ncum sp.) six inches to a foot above the surface of 

 the ground. The other was on a young bamboo shoot among the same 

 grass. The habit of forming the froth above the ground is in close 

 agreement with T. tristis in Surinam. The froth contained a large 

 amount of solid matter and was rather calcareous in appearance, 

 esi^ecially on the outer surface where it had dried a little. 



One of the nymphs was almost full-grown and showed the markings 

 of the wings of the adult. It emerged five days later. 



Tomaspis sp. On 26th January, 1919 I found two nymphs of a 

 froghopper on the clinging roots of an Aroid climber in the forest at an 

 altitude of about 2,000 feet on Mt. Tucuche. It was not any of the 

 known Trinidad species, but no adult was found and the nymphs died 

 without emerging. Nj'mphs were found in similar situations in British 

 Guiana and Panama and no doubt all three are related. The latter 

 species will be described in a subsequent report. 



Clastoptera sp. The Casuarina or "Whistling pine" trees in 

 Trinidad are frequently heavily invested with the white liquid froth 

 masses of a species of Clastoptera. Urich (1913 C. p. 29) identifies it as 

 Clastojjtera laenata, Fowler. The species is of particular interest as the 

 froth masses frequently contain the larvae of a fly Drosophila 2)aradoxa, 

 Lamb (1918) which destroys the n^-mph of the froghopper. No member 

 of this group of flies, usually confined to decaying and fermenting 

 vegetable matter, had previously been recorded as parasitic. 



Although there is no possibility of transfen-ing this parasite to the 

 sugar-cane froghopper, it is of interest as indicating a possible new 

 }. roup of parasites which might be searched for elsewhere. The 

 Drosophila is in turn parasitised by a Chalcid which has also been bred 

 from the common Drosophila found in decaying bananas. 



The Casuarina is an introduced tree in Trinidad, but the same frog- 

 hopper is found on a number of local bushes, and also on Hibiscus and 

 Pigeon pea. 



Cephisus sp. Adults of a species of this genus (probably C. siccifolia) 

 have been captured on several occasions in light traps in the sugar-cane 

 fields in the Naparimas, and also at light in a house in San Fernando. 

 Nothing is known of their habits in Trinidad, but in British Guiana I 

 was informed that the nymphs were found on Krythrina (Immortelle). 

 This tree is abundant in Trinidad, but is confined to the cacao districts, 

 and the insects caught on the sugar estate in question probably^had 

 some other host plant. 



