﻿10.— 
  OXYCARENUS 
  LAETUS 
  ; 
  THE 
  DUSKY 
  t^OTTON 
  BUG. 
  

  

  By 
  C. 
  S. 
  MiSRA, 
  B.A., 
  First 
  Assistant 
  to 
  the 
  Imperial 
  Entomologist. 
  

  

  Oxycarenus 
  IcBtus, 
  Kby. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Distant. 
  Fauna 
  of 
  India, 
  

  

  Vol. 
  II, 
  p. 
  43, 
  Fig. 
  31. 
  

   Oxycarenus 
  IcBtus, 
  Kby. 
  H. 
  Maxwell 
  Lefroy. 
  Insects 
  of 
  

  

  Tirhut. 
  Records 
  of 
  Indian 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  part 
  4, 
  No. 
  25, 
  

  

  December 
  1909. 
  

   Oxycarenus 
  Icetus. 
  H. 
  Maxwell-Lefroy. 
  Indian 
  Insect 
  Life, 
  

  

  p. 
  688, 
  Fig. 
  454, 
  1909. 
  

   Oxycarenus 
  Icetus. 
  T. 
  Bainbrigge 
  Fletcher. 
  Some 
  South 
  Indian 
  

  

  Insects, 
  pp. 
  482-483, 
  Fig. 
  367. 
  

   Oxycarenus 
  Icetus. 
  H. 
  Maxwell-Lefroy. 
  Indian 
  Insect 
  Pests. 
  

  

  pp. 
  107-108, 
  Fig. 
  126. 
  

  

  Hitherto 
  the 
  Boll- 
  worms 
  Earias 
  fahia, 
  E. 
  insulana, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   Pink 
  Boll- 
  worm, 
  Platyedra 
  gossypiella, 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  received 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   attention 
  of 
  the 
  workers 
  on 
  cotton 
  pests. 
  The 
  large 
  and 
  small 
  Hemiptera, 
  

   which 
  cause 
  as 
  much 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  cotton 
  plant 
  as 
  the 
  three 
  boll- 
  worms 
  

   together, 
  have 
  received 
  scant 
  attention 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  time. 
  Any 
  one 
  who 
  

   has 
  worked 
  on 
  the 
  cotton 
  pests 
  will 
  be 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  damage 
  directly 
  

   or 
  indirectly 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  these 
  obscure 
  Hemiptera 
  about 
  which 
  

   Order 
  of 
  insects 
  Dr. 
  D. 
  Sharp 
  has 
  aptly 
  said 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  There 
  is 
  probably 
  no 
  order 
  of 
  insects 
  that 
  is 
  so 
  directly 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  race 
  as 
  the 
  Hemiptera 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  if 
  any- 
  

   thing 
  were 
  to 
  exterminate 
  the 
  enemies 
  of 
  Hemiptera, 
  we 
  ourselves 
  should 
  

   probably 
  be 
  starved 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  months." 
  (Cambridge 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  VI, 
  p. 
  533.) 
  And 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  Kirkaldy 
  has 
  expres- 
  

   sed 
  himself 
  in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  view 
  in 
  Bull. 
  Hawaiian 
  Planters' 
  

   Association, 
  Vol. 
  I, 
  p. 
  271, 
  when 
  he 
  said 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  "It 
  is 
  not 
  alone 
  the 
  exhaustion 
  consequent 
  upon 
  the 
  rapid 
  draining 
  

   of 
  plants' 
  juices 
  by 
  the 
  almost 
  microscopic 
  setae 
  of 
  the 
  Hemipteron 
  that 
  

   is 
  so 
  deleterious, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  addition 
  of 
  hordes 
  of 
  fungus 
  spores, 
  which 
  so 
  

   often 
  subsequently 
  attack 
  the 
  wounded 
  surface, 
  and 
  quickly 
  multiplying 
  

   penetrate 
  into 
  the 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  causing 
  decay 
  and 
  death," 
  

   and 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  worked 
  on 
  the 
  group 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  will 
  be 
  struck 
  

   with 
  the 
  validity 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  remarks. 
  

  

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