THE AVOCADO IN" GUATEMALA. 35 



as scarcely to leave space for even one more. Unquestionably they 

 must have an injurious effect upon the tree. 



The avocado weevil (Heilipus lauri Boh.), whose presence in 

 Mexico has been the chief motive for the quarantine order prohibiting 

 the importation of avocado seed from that country into the. United 

 States, was not observed in Guatemala, nor were any specimens 

 found among more than 25,000 seeds shipped from Guatemala to 

 Washington in 1916 and 1917. Another weevil, however, was found 

 in these shipments. This species, the broad-nosed grain weevil 

 {Caulophilus latinmus Say), is already known in the United States. 

 According to Chittenden (Bull. 96, pt. 2, Bureau of Entomology), 

 it appears to be permanently established in this country as an enemy 

 of dried cereals and other food materials. In Guatemala it was ob- 

 served to be exceedingly abundant in avocado seeds which had re- 

 mained for some days upon the ground beneath the trees, and it was 

 also common among seeds obtained from the markets, where they had 

 been stored for two or three weeks. It bores in the seeds, leaving 

 small tunnels. 



Larvae of a small brownish gray moth (Stenoma sp.) were found 

 in a few avocados purchased in the markets of the city of Guatemala. 

 They burrow in the seed and are similar in size and general appear- 

 ance to the weevil larvae {C onotrachelus sp.), but the damage which 

 they occasion is by no means so great. The presence of these larvse 

 can be detected by a small round hole on the surface of the seed. 

 No instances of severe infestation were observed. 



Numerous scale insects attack the avocado in Guatemala, though 

 severe infestations are very rare. At Almolonga, near Quezalte- 

 nango, a tree was found rather badly infested with Pulvinaria fioc- 

 cifera West. Other scale insects which are found on the avocado in 

 various parts of the country are the following: Aspidiotm lataniae, 

 A. subsimilis, Chrysomphalus dictyospermi, G. perseae, C. persona- 

 tus (masked scale), C. scutiformis, Diaspis boisduvalii, Pseudopar- 

 latoria ostreata, and Lepidosaphes miniosarwn. These were all de- 

 termined by the officers of the Federal Horticultural Board from ma- 

 terial sent to Washington. 



While none of the scale insects mentioned are very destructive in 

 Guatemala, their introduction into the avocado groves of California 

 and Florida must be strictly guardecP against. Under the different 

 environmental conditions which exist in those States, they might 

 quickly become much more serious than they are to-day in Guate- 

 mala. 



Of parasitic fungi, three species were found on material sent to 

 Washington from Guatemala. One of these, C olletotrichum gloeo- 

 sporioides, is already well known in California and Florida, espe- 



