APHIS VASTATOR. 67 



ed, I found that it was identical with one known heretofore 

 to infest the turnip, and which is called by Curtis the 

 Aphis rapce. I found, however, that the use of this name 

 was so embarrassing, and led to such confusion, from the 

 insect feeding upon the turnip in common with other 

 Aphides, itself too attacking twenty or thirty different 

 plants, that I decided to meet the difficulty by describing 

 it under a new title ; and having discovered that this pest 

 is a great destroyer of human food, a waster of our best 

 provisions, I have therefore termed it the vastator, or 

 destroyer. 



(266.) Having determined that the vastator is the same 

 insect as the Aphis rapse of Curtis, I make no apology for 

 transcribing his description of the animal, which is as 

 follows : 



" Male ochraceous : horns moderately long, setaceous, 

 fuscous, two first joints black, third ochraceous at the base ; 

 head blackish ; collar ochraceous and brown ; disc of 

 thorax shining black ; abdomen greenish ; the spiracles 

 or breathing pores brown ; tubes long, slender, ochraceous 

 at the tip ; the apical process of the body ochraceous also ; 

 wings iridescent, the nervures light brown ; stigmatic spot 

 long and yellowish ; apical cell somewhat oval ; furcate 

 cells elongate, trigonate ; terminal very short ; tips of 

 thighs, shanks, feet, and claws black. Female light 

 green, shagreened : horns fuscous, except at the base ; 

 eyes, tips of shanks and feet black." 



I do not know whether this Aphis has ever been named 

 before the time of Curtis, and in fact the description of 

 Aphides by the older writers is so imperfect that even 

 their figures would answer for any insect of the same 

 genus. 



