SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



177 



COCCINELLIDAE IN ARIZONA. 



By Professor Cockerell, F.Z.S. 



nHHE following notes relate to some of the native 

 -L ladybirds of Arizona and New Mexico, which 

 may be useful in destroying scale-insects. 



1. Ch ilocor us cacti Linne. A black convex species 

 with two* large red spots. This is a species feed- 

 ing on the native scales, which also now attacks 

 the Parlatoria scale on date-palms and is doing 

 very good service. Captain Casey has lately re- 

 vised the genus Chilocorus, and proposed to restrict 

 thenamemctfito specimens from Central America ; 

 while his Chilocorus confusor, based on specimens 

 from San Diego, California, would presumably in- 

 clude the Arizona insect. However, after studying 

 the specimens and his descriptions, I believe there 

 is no sufficient reason for the change. I have 

 before me an interesting little pamphlet by one 

 Friderico Friedel, dated 1701, relating to the 

 cochineal insect. In it is the figure of a cactus 

 (Opuntia) on which are individuals of the cochi- 

 neal ; and on the ground beneath is a specimen of 

 Chilocorus cacti, which must have been observed 

 even at this early date to prey on coccidae. 



2. Tkalassa montezumae Mulsant. This is a large 

 species found by the late Mr. H. G. Hubbard 

 devouring Toumeyella mirabilis near Wilcox, 

 Arizona. Mr. Hubbard suggested that it might 

 feed on the black scale Lecaniiivi oleae, which is 

 more or less allied to the Toumeyella. For further 

 particulars see Proc. Entom. Soc. of Washington, 

 vol. iv., p. 297. 



3. Chnoodes n. sp. This preys upon Icerya 

 rileyi at Mesilla Park, N.M. It is 3 mm. long, 

 broad oval, convex, black, hoary with a short pale 

 pubescence, moderately shiny, each elytron with 

 an oval dark red spot, and a broad red upper 

 external margin. Under surface, legs, and 

 antennae, dull reddish. Mr. H. S. Gorham at first 

 thought this might be his C. bipnnctatus, but he 

 now assures me that it is quite distinct, and un- 

 described so far as he knows. 



4. Hyperaspis lateralis Mulsant. A small species, 

 black marked with red and yellowish. There is a 

 red spot near the middle of each elytron, one 

 near the end, and a pale bar along the anterior 

 external margin. The head and anterior margin 

 of the thorax are pale yellowish. This is an abun- 

 dant enemy of Phsnacoccus helianthi on Pinched 

 borealig in the Mesilla Valley, N.M. ; it would 

 probably be useful in destroying other mealy-bugs. 

 In Canad. Entom. 1894, p. 285, I recorded this as 

 H. undulata, it having been wrongly identified 

 for me. 



5. H. osculans Leconte and II. annexa Leconte 

 prey upon Pseudococcus confusus (Coccus confusus, 

 Ckll., Amer. Nat., 1893, p. 1043) at Las Oruces 



N.M. 



(i. E/jismilia misella (Pentilia misella Leconte). 

 A very minute black species found in the Mesilla 

 Valley, N.M., and in many other places, preying on 

 the San Jose scale. For an account of it, with 

 figures, see Bull. 3, New Series, Div. Ent. U.S. 

 Dept. Agriculture, p. 52. The insect is not a 

 Pentilia, and Weise proposed for it the generic 

 name Sntilia, overlooking the fact that it had been 

 given in 1833 to a well-known genus of Ilomoptera. 

 I have several times directed the attention of 

 coleopterists to this preoccupation, but without 

 result ; so, after correspondence with Mr. Gorham, 

 an authority on the Coccinellidae, it is agreed to 

 substitute Epismilia as above. The Epismilia was 

 not observed among the San Jose scale in the Salt 

 River Valley. 



East Las Vegas, Nero Mexico, U.S.A. 



Long-eared Bat in Westminster. — A speci- 

 men of the long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) was 

 captured in the office of the Board of Education on 

 September 29. It was carefully removed, but 

 unfortunately escaped during the night by forcing 

 itself between the bars of its cage. Although 

 a government office is not a probable place to find 

 a bat, I do not imagine these little animals are 

 rare in Westminster, as the parks are within easy 

 flight. — Frank P. Smith, Islington. 



Palaeolithic Man in the Valley of the 

 Wandle. — In your August number you published, 

 under the above title, an interesting article by 

 Mr. J. P. Johnson, dealing with the gravels of the 

 Wandle Valley. These are not of very easy inter- 

 pretation. He gave one or two records of finds 

 of palaeolithic implements, from which I gather 

 that the author has only been able to ascertain 

 the following evidence of palaeolithic man's exist- 

 ence in the Croydon Valley : — "A fine implement 

 nearly eight inches long from Thornton Heath, a 

 broken palaeolithic implement from Miles Lane, 

 and three flakes." With regard to the implement 

 from Thornton Heath, now in the loan collection 

 of the Croydon Microscopical and Natural History 

 Club at the Town Hall, I think if the author of 

 the paper had seen the implement he would hardly 

 have cited it as evidence. I understand it was 

 represented by the workman who sold it to have 

 come from the base of the gravel, resting upon the 

 London clay. It has not been rolled, and its con- 

 dition is strongly suggestive of a much later date. 

 The other finds are no doubt valuable as strengthen- 

 ing the evidence afforded by various implements 

 which are reported to have been found from time 

 to time in the Wandle Valley, but the evidence at 

 present is meagre and requires considerable 

 strengthening before we can arrive at any very 

 accurate conclusion as to the palaeolithic inhabit- 

 ants of the neighbourhood. Great interest attaches 

 to the position of the particular, gravels in which 

 any implements may be found, and special care 

 should be taken to notice if they are of plateau 

 type. I have one of the latter in my possession, 

 greatly rolled, but unfortunately am unable to be 

 positive as to the particular gravel from which it 

 was taken, though I think it undoubtedly came 

 from the upper terrace at Thornton Heath. — 

 N. F Robarts, F.G.S., 23 Oliver Grove, South 

 Norwood. 



