H. A. BALLOU — NOTES ON INSECT PESTS IN ANTIGUA. 65 



purple. In a recent letter Mr. Tempanj gives an account of rearing the adults 

 from these larvae. He separated them into two lots and found that the green 

 larvae remained green and the purple larvae remained purple until fully grown. 

 The larvae of both colours pupate in exactly the same manner, and whea the 

 adults emerge the moths from the two lots of caterpillars arc alike. 



A small plot of castor, which was being grown for experiment in Eri silk 

 culture, was found to be attacked by considerable numbers of a leaf hopper, 

 while both the cassava and castor were attacked by a lace bug (Corythuca sp.). 



The sweet potatoes at Skerretts were attacked by the larvae of a butterfly 

 (Junonia sp.)* This is a delicate and spiny caterpillar about 2 inches in length, 

 and was fairly abundant throughout these plots. The occurrence of this butterfly 

 larva as a pest on sweet potatoes is very unusual, at least T have never observed 

 it before. The ordinary potato worm, Herse (Protoparce) ci/if/tdata, occurs as a 

 pest of sweet potatoes in Antigua, but I saw no instance of it during this visit. 

 A small green caterpillar was present feeding on the potatoes in the plots, but I 

 was not able to obtain the adult. 



The cow-peas at Skerretts were attacked by a boring larva in exactly the same 

 manner as those found by me in Barbados in 1911 from which a new species of 

 moth was reared. The attack on Canavalia, which I reported having observed 

 in St. Kitts in the early part of 1912, was also similar in nature to this. I was 

 very interested to observe the large numbers of a predaceous bug which occurred 

 in these cow-peas at Skerretts. This insect (Zelus rubidus) has often been 

 reported in different places in the West Indies, but I have never before seen it 

 in such numbers. I am of opinion that it was present because of the large 

 number of the larvae of the cow-pea or woolly pyrol moth (Thermesia gemmatalis). 

 These larvae were causing a certain amount of injury to the cow-peas and the 

 predaceous bug was present on all the plants. 



• [Probably Precis lavinia zonalis, Feld., the only species of the genus known as yet from 

 Antigua. The larvae of another Nymphalid butterfly (Acraea terpsichore, L.) have been 

 recorded by Mr. C. C. Gowdey as damaging sweet potatoes in Uganda. — Ed.] 



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