17 



and beneath the thoracic shield. Paralysis of the limbs follows 

 almost at once, and in from 3 to 10 minutes the changa is lifeless. 



.V large gray hairy spider, called ' araiia peluda," is not uncom- 

 monly found in the soil and may account for an occasional changa. 

 Individuals in captivity devoured the mole crickets greedily. 



Tower (46) records the adult of Tetracha sobrina infuscata as an 

 enemy of the changa in the tobacco district in the interior of the 

 island. This tiger beetle seems to be generally distributed over the 

 island but is not very common. 



Calosoma alternans is another probable enemy of the mole cricket. 

 An adult female of this species was found in a changa burrow at a 

 depth of about 6 inches. In the laboratory the beetle killed four 

 changas in about two weeks and fed upon them from time to time. 

 This insect, which is also predacious on small Lepidopterous larvae, 

 may be a more effective enemy of the mole cricket under natural 

 conditions, but it is not a very common species. 



Larva? of Pyrophorus luminosus, in the absence of other food at 

 least, will attack changas of any stage. This generally beneficial 

 insect which is so common in the lowlands may be an effective enemy 

 of the mole cricket. 



In Cuba a red ant known locally as " hormiga brava " attacks the 

 changa in its burrows and may be an, jiftcortant factor in keeping 

 down its numbers. This is not the same species as the Porto Rican 

 ant which has the same common name/ 



The value of the various lizards (Anolis spp.), so numerous over 

 the island, as predators of the mole cricket is very small because of 

 their diurnal habits. A changa emerging above ground during the 

 daytime, however, is almost certain to furnish a meal for some lizard. 



The larger " siguana " (Ameiva exvl) has the reputation of being a 

 valuable enemy of the changa, and since it is a burrowing animal no 

 doubt it does feed to a greater extent on the mole cricket than do the 

 more common and smaller lizards. The stomach of an Ameiva col- 

 lected at Yabucoa and examined by Mr. Wetmore contained frag- 

 ments of a changa, and this species has been observed to dig out and 

 devour mole crickets at Rio Piedras. 2 However, examination of the 

 stomachs of four of these lizards taken at Mayaguez failed to reveal 

 any traces of changas. In St. Lucia it is reported (6) that " previous 

 to the introduction of the mongoose the mole cricket was kept under 

 control by its natural enemy the ground lizard." This possibly 

 refers to Ameiva sp. 



1 Correspondence from Mr. Patriclo Cardfn, entomologist ef the Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station at Santiago de las Vegas, Cuba. 



2 Letter from Mr. E. G. Smyth, of the Porto Rico Insular Experiment Station, Feb. 7, 

 1917. 



