NEW SPECIES OF DIASPINE SCALE INSECTS. 17 



least several years, but. in spite of careful search, no tree has been found so badly 

 attacked that its life is threatened; no tree has been found to have actually succumbed 

 to its attack. 



The scale is apparently.kept in check by an insect enemy, although up to the present 

 no parasites have actually been discovered. In other countries where the scale has 

 become established, it can hardly be said to be kept down by its parasites. 



In letter of February 3, 1908, transmitting the report of the confer- 

 ence of entomologists at Bloemfontein, Mr. Neethling states that since 

 the discovery of the insect it has become very destructive to some 

 cultivated plants, notably the fig and privet. The list of plants which 

 it has been found to infest, given in the report referred to, includes the 

 following : 



Privet Abundantly infested. 



Fig Do. 



Honey locust (Gleditsia Irlacanthos) Do. 



Pepper (Schinus molle ) Do. 



Apricot Sparsely infested. 



Quince Do. 



Apple - - Very rarely and sparsely infested. 



Acacia li.orrida More or less abundantly infested. 



Robinia 'pseuclacacia Sparsely infested. 



Rhus sp Do. 



Mr. Lounsbury's communication of January 29, with accompany- 

 ing specimens, gives further interesting information relative to the 

 insect, and considerably extends its range in South Africa, as already 

 noted. He adds two new food plants for Bloemfontein, namely, 

 willow and poplar. He had also found, in the material which he 

 had studied, particularly in that from South Africa and more rarely 

 in some of the Bloemfontein samples, scattering paragenitals. Fol- 

 lowing his suggestion the writer gave a second and most careful 

 scrutin}'' to all the material, with the results in the matter of para- 

 genitals and other features indicated in the concluding notes descrip- 

 tive of all the material. Mr. Lounsbury states: 



I have known the occurrence on the pear for some years and suspect that the infes- 

 tation went with niirsery stpck sent out years ago by a certain nurseryman. But we 

 liave failed to find the scale on his place and have come to think that it might have 

 been imported by him with French stocks before the days when we fumigated such 

 and that it has since been eliminated. In our notes we have entered the species as 

 "near ancylus" and "near perniciosus,'' but the possibility of it being the one at 

 Bloemfontein incoiTectly identified as perniciosus did not occur to me until I received 

 material of the latter. I have not seen the species away from orchards or habita- 

 tions, but some Orange River Colony material was found on Rhits and mimosa (native 

 plants) under circumstances suggestive of its being indigenous. The pear occurrence 

 at Ivomgha (east of Cape Colony) was on a few trees in one orchard, and cutting them 

 out seems to have proved eradicative. A few branches were heavily incrusted. 

 The one at Hex River (only 125 miles from here) is also in one orchard only, so far 

 as I know, and here some dozens of trees show the injury by the death of inside wood 

 and spotting of fruit. I can not compare the species with j)erniciosus for perniciousness . 



