163 



A FROGHOPPER ON SUGAR-CANE IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



By C. B. Williams, MA., F.E.S., 



Department of Agriculture, Trinidad. 



In the course of an investigation of the froghoppers (Ceecopldae) of Central 

 America, made on behalf of the Government of Trinidad, I visited British Guiana 

 in 1916. The object of the visit was to find, if possible, some new parasites for 

 introduction into Trinidad in order to combat the froghopper (Tomaspis saccharina,, 

 Dist.), which is the most serious pest of sugar-cane in the island. Although the 

 species of froghopper found on the sugar-cane in British Guiana is different from 

 the species in Trinidad, yet all the parasites found were already known in that island. 

 However, the following notes on the British Guiana insect may be of some general 

 interest. 



Fig. 1. Sketch-map of the coast of British Guiana, 



showing the distribution of the froghopper, Tomaspis 



flavilatera. 



Practically all the investigation was carried out on the coast lands of what is 

 generally known as Demerara. These were reclaimed many years ago from a flat 

 forest swamp and are mostly below sea-level at high-tide. The soil is a deep alluvial 

 deposit of clayey consistency. Drainage is bad and is done chiefly by sluices, which 

 are opened by hand at low tide and closed again when the tide rises. The whole 

 of the sugar-cane district is intersected with two systems of artificially constructed 

 trenches or canals at different levels. The higher level is used for transport and 



