THE AGRICULTUEAL PESTS OF INDIA. 109 



Tacua speciosa, a native of Java, one of the Cicadidas, 

 is black, and 3 inches in length. See Cicadidse. 



Taenia solium, Linn. This species, which is familiarly 

 known as the solitary or tape worm, is a very common 

 entozoon. There are several species. See Helminths. 



Tarantula spiders are popularly believed to be exceed- 

 ingly poisonous. These animals belong to the genus 

 Lycosa of Latreille ; they are characterized by having the 

 eyes arranged in an elongated quadrilateral form. There 

 are several species. 



Tea-bug or mosquito blight of Assam is the Helopeltis 

 theiovora. Other species of this genus are H. nigra and 

 H, braconiformis of New Guinea and Waigiou ; H. 

 pellucida and H. collaris of the Philippines ; H. podagrica, 

 of some unascertained habitat. H. Antonii attacks the 

 cacao plants in Ceylon; H. Bradyi does much mischief 

 to the cinchona plantations in Java ; and another species 

 (not yet described) injures the tea plants also in Java. 



The Tea-mite or red spider of Assam planters is the 

 Tetranychus bioculatus. 



Mr. Wood-Mason, writing in 1884, remarks that 'of 

 the numerous animals which prey upon the tea plant, 

 two only are at present known to do such injury to it as 

 materially to diminish the profits of owners of tea estates ; 

 these are the Tea-Bug or " Mosquito Blight," and the 

 Tea-Mite or " Eed Spider " of planters.' The former 

 damages the young and tender shoots required for manu- 

 facture into tea, and thus causes direct loss to the planter ; 

 while the latter confines its ravages to the full-grown 



