66 INSECTS AFFECTING THE ORANGE. 



"Habitat. This species is very abundant upon almost every variety 

 of house-plant in the Department green-houses, but especially so upon 

 the Arabian and Liberian coffee-plants. On these plants they were 

 found, curiously enough, in small pits or glands on the under side of 

 the leaf, along the mid-rib. Almost every pit, of which there is one at 

 the origin of each main vein, contained one or more young mealy bugs, 

 and the larger ones whole colonies. The name destructor is, however, 

 proposed for this insect from the damage done by it to orange trees in 

 Florida, especially at Jacksonville and Micanopy, where it is the most 

 serious insect pest of the orange. 



"Natural enemies. The Chalcid parasite, Encyrtus inquisitor Howard 

 [Fig. 24], described in this report, was bred from a specimen of this 



mealy bug collected at Jackson- 

 ville, Fla. A small red bug was 

 observed by myself and several 

 of our correspondents to prey 

 upon the mealy bug. The larvae 

 of another species have been 

 found, but the mature form has 

 not been obtained. These last 

 have the faculty of changing 



-t- U \\' \<=>/ v /I H color quickly from red to brown. 



" The very curious larvae of a 

 lady-bird beetle, known as Seym- 

 nus bioculatus. were found feed 



FlG. 24. Ency i tus inquisitor. (After Howard.) - . ., ,. , 



ing upon the eggs of the mealy 



bug at Orange Lake. These larvae mimic the Dactylopii so closely that 

 they might easily be taken for them. They are covered by a white 

 secretion, and from each segment exudes a white substance which forms 

 long filaments like those of the mealy bug. Kemoving the powder the 

 larvae are seen to be yellow in color, with two roundish dusky spots on 

 the dorsum of each thoracic segment. Each segment 'of the body is 

 furnished laterally with one long bristle and a number of small ones. 7 ' 

 Two other parasites on Dactylopius destructor have recently been de- 

 scribed by Mr. Howard (Bulletin o, Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. 

 Agric.) as Leptomastix dactylopii and Oliiloneurus dactylopii. 



THE COTTONY CUSHION SCALE. 

 (Icerya purchasi, Maskell.) 



[Fig. 25.] 



This insect has not yet been introduced into Florida. The following 

 excellent account of it is from the pen of Dr. S. F. Chapin, State Hor- 

 ticultural Officer of California : * 



* Pacific Rural Press, October 28, 1882. 



