TROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 601 



24.— COCCIDS AFFECTING FRUIT-TREES IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 



By T. V. Ramakrishna Ayyar, B.A., F.E.S., Acting Government 

 Entomologist, Madras. 



It is generally recognized that of the different kinds of insects that 

 levy their toll on fruit-trees the members of the group Coccidce o: Scale 

 insects play a very important part. This is, of course, not recognized 

 as much in India as it is in the well-known orchard areas of the world. 

 In California, Australia, South Africa and the Mediterranean countries,, 

 which are the foremost places where fruit crops are extensively grown,, 

 individuals of this family of insects have been known to do very serious 

 damage and bring about appreciable loss to the country. Even a single 

 species such as the '' San Jose Scale " or the '' Oyster Shell Scale " has 

 been found responsible for the loss of thousands of pounds worth of 

 fruits every year. 



In India on the other hand, although conditions of fruit growing and 

 the consequent chances of insect infestation have not advanced to any 

 such remarkable degree, within the last decade very great attention 

 has been paid by land-owners in South India towards the extension of 

 the area under different kinds of fruit crops. It is a common sight 

 now-a-days, as one moves in a railway train, to find numerous young^ 

 orchards of mango, Citrus and other fruit crops in areas which were 

 till recently barren and uncared for. This fairly rapid extension of the 

 area under fruit allows the easy dissemination of the different kinds of 

 insect pests and especially those that belong to the group of Scale-^ 

 insects. Of all insects which have, in virtue of their peculiar habits and 

 nature, the best chances of easy distribution from place to place the 

 Scale-insects rank very high, and as such I believe it may help prospective 

 fruit-growers to have some idea of the different species of this family 

 that they are likely to meet with, so that they may be in a position to 

 take prompt measures before any of the insects assume serious propor- 

 tions. I have therefore attempted in this brief paper to note down the 

 species that have so far been found on fruit trees of different kinds in 

 South India, either as important or as minor pests. So far, only a few 

 of those in this paper are really serious pests ; but it would be advantage- 

 ous to have an idea of what are the species found on the plants, so that 

 we might watch the progress of the different species. The species have 

 been arranged under each fruit crop found in South India. 



Mango. 



Proportionate to its importance in South India the mango tree is. 

 subject to the attentions of a good many species of Coccidse. However,, 



