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  AN 
  ATTEMPT 
  TO 
  INTRODUCE 
  SCOLIID 
  WASPS 
  FROM 
  MADAGASCAR 
  

  

  TO 
  MAURITIUS. 
  

  

  By 
  D. 
  d'Emmerez 
  de 
  Charmoy, 
  

   Assistant 
  Director 
  and 
  Entomologist, 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  Mauritius. 
  

  

  (Plates 
  VI-IX.) 
  

  

  Attention 
  was 
  first 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  Scoliid 
  wasps 
  of 
  Madagascar 
  in 
  1916, 
  in 
  which 
  

   year 
  it 
  became 
  clear 
  that 
  further 
  attempts 
  at 
  importing 
  Tiphia 
  parallela 
  from 
  

   Barbados 
  to 
  Mauritius 
  for 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  Phytalns 
  smithi 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned 
  

   •on 
  account 
  of 
  difficulties 
  of 
  transport 
  arising 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  war. 
  The 
  establishment 
  

   of 
  Tiphia 
  in 
  Mauritius 
  shortly 
  afterwards 
  caused 
  this 
  question 
  to 
  lose 
  its 
  urgency, 
  

   but 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  writer 
  had 
  been 
  attracted 
  by 
  a 
  footnote 
  

   in 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  de 
  Saussure* 
  regarding 
  Oryctes 
  simiar 
  and 
  its 
  natural 
  enemy 
  Scolia 
  

   oryctophaga, 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  studied 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Ch. 
  Coquerel 
  during 
  his 
  

   stay 
  in 
  Madagascar 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1850. 
  

  

  In 
  Mauritius 
  Oryctes 
  tarandus, 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Gros 
  Moutouc, 
  had 
  for 
  some 
  

   years 
  been 
  responsible 
  for 
  considerable 
  damage 
  to 
  growing 
  canes, 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  

   possible 
  that 
  the 
  Scoliids 
  might 
  be 
  capable 
  of 
  effecting 
  some 
  control 
  thereon. 
  After 
  

   discussion 
  with 
  the 
  Government 
  and 
  the 
  planters 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  that 
  the 
  attempt 
  

   to 
  introduce 
  these 
  insects 
  into 
  Mauritius 
  should 
  be 
  made, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  the 
  writer, 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  Gebert, 
  Scientific 
  Assistant 
  in 
  the 
  Biological 
  Division 
  of 
  

   the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  was 
  delegated 
  to 
  proceed 
  to 
  Madagascar 
  in 
  May 
  

   1917 
  with 
  this 
  object 
  in 
  view, 
  the 
  necessary 
  funds 
  and 
  assistance 
  being 
  provided 
  by 
  

   the 
  Government 
  and 
  the 
  planters 
  of 
  the 
  Colony. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  pages 
  an 
  account 
  

   is 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  expedition 
  in 
  question 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  in 
  

   consequence. 
  

  

  The 
  Habits 
  of 
  Scoliids. 
  

  

  Data 
  gathered 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  while 
  studying 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  local 
  species, 
  and 
  also 
  

   in 
  connection 
  with 
  importations 
  from 
  various 
  foreign 
  sources, 
  have 
  demonstrated 
  

   many 
  difficulties 
  which 
  attend 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  description, 
  and 
  have 
  emphasised 
  the 
  

   importance 
  of 
  detailed 
  knowledge 
  respecting 
  the 
  habits 
  and 
  customs 
  of 
  insects 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  utilise 
  as 
  auxiliaries 
  for 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  insect 
  pests 
  ; 
  nine 
  times 
  out 
  

   of 
  ten 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  failure 
  in 
  such 
  undertakings 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  lack 
  of 
  this. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  parasitism 
  by 
  Scoliids 
  was 
  observed 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  by 
  

   the 
  Italian 
  entomologist 
  Passerini.f 
  who 
  pointed 
  out, 
  in 
  1840 
  and 
  1841, 
  that 
  

   Oryctes 
  nasicornis 
  was 
  parasitised 
  by 
  Scolia 
  flavifrons 
  and 
  S. 
  hortorum. 
  In 
  1854 
  

   Coquerel, 
  J 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  Societe 
  Entomologique 
  de 
  France 
  (to 
  which 
  we 
  shall 
  

   have 
  to 
  refer 
  again), 
  deals 
  with 
  two 
  other 
  Scoliids 
  of 
  Madagascar, 
  S. 
  oryctophaga 
  

   and 
  5. 
  camifex, 
  parasitic 
  upon 
  0. 
  simiar, 
  0. 
  ranavalo, 
  and 
  0. 
  radama, 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   which 
  he 
  studied 
  in 
  Madagascar, 
  at 
  Nossi-Be 
  and 
  Ste 
  Marie, 
  where 
  he 
  had 
  spent 
  

   several 
  years. 
  

  

  * 
  " 
  Histoire 
  Physique, 
  Naturelle 
  et 
  Politique 
  de 
  Madagascar," 
  publiee 
  par 
  Alfred 
  Grandidier 
  ; 
  

   " 
  Hist. 
  Naturelle 
  des 
  Hymenopteres," 
  par 
  H. 
  de 
  Saussure, 
  pp. 
  1SS-192. 
  

  

  t 
  " 
  Osserv. 
  sulle 
  larve, 
  ninfe 
  e 
  abitudini 
  della 
  Scolia 
  flavifrons 
  " 
  (Pise, 
  1S40) 
  and 
  " 
  Continuazione 
  

   delle 
  osservazione 
  l'anno 
  1841 
  sulle 
  larve 
  di 
  Scolia 
  flavifrons 
  " 
  (Firenze, 
  1841). 
  

  

  X 
  " 
  Observations 
  entomologiques 
  sur 
  des 
  insectes 
  recueillis 
  a 
  Madagascar, 
  4frne 
  partie," 
  par 
  

   Dr. 
  Ch. 
  Coquerel 
  (Ann. 
  Soc. 
  Ent., 
  France, 
  (3) 
  iii). 
  

  

  (8053) 
  Wt.P.6/200 
  1000 
  11/22 
  Harrow 
  G.75. 
  R 
  

  

  