INSECTS OF THE COTTON STAINER FAMILY. 95 



THE COTTON STAINER. 



{Dysdercus suturellus H. Schf.) 



The cotton stainer (PL I, fig. 8), or ''red bug," as it is sometimes 

 called, is a native of tropical America and although long known as a 

 cotton pest it is of Hmited distribution in this country, where thus 

 far damage to cotton has been reported only from Florida. 



Kiley and Howard ^ have given the most complete account of 

 this insect that has been pubhshed. The differences in opinion 

 among various observers as expressed in published writings concern- 

 ing the nature of the injury by this insect to cotton have been dis- 

 cussed by the writer un- 

 der the general subject 

 of injury by plant-bugs. 



Riley and Howard 

 have referred to the rec- 

 ords of food plants and 

 supposed food plants. 

 Aside from the cotton 

 and orange, the cotton 

 stainer has been observed 

 to feed on certain un- 

 determined malvaceous 

 plants and has been 

 found on certain species 

 of Hibiscus, on the leaves 

 of guava (Psidium), on 

 Spanish cocklebur ( Urena 

 lobata), and night-shade 

 {Solanum nigrum). The 

 writer has observed these 

 insects breeding in large 

 numbers at Orlando, 

 Kla on Spanish cockle- ■^■'^^•^^•^"'^^^^^^^^^^^p^^'^*'^^^" ■^^-'^p^'^^^'^^^^*^'^" ^^^^rged 



, ' . . , 6 diameters. (Original.) 



bur growing m and near 



orange groves, but has never observed them to feed on citrus fruits, 

 except in cases where they were in confinement. Dndoubtedly, as 

 Riley and Howard have indicated, the habit of feeding on oranges 

 is a temporary one and is probably due to the destruction of more 

 natural food plants by frost or other causes. 



Mr. H. A. Ballou has given some records of egg-laying of certain 

 West Indian species of cotton stainers, but the writer knows of no 

 published records of this kind concerning the American form here 

 discussed. On October 8, 1906, 4 females and 4 males collected on 



a Insect Life, Vol. I, pp. 234-241, 1889, 



