﻿197 
  

  

  THE 
  AGRICULTURAL 
  PESTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SOUTHERN 
  PROVINCES, 
  

  

  NIGERIA. 
  

  

  By 
  W. 
  A. 
  Lamborn, 
  M.B. 
  

  

  (Plates 
  XVII-XXV). 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  notes 
  embody 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  observations 
  made 
  during 
  a 
  year 
  of 
  

   service 
  (May 
  1913 
  to 
  May 
  1914) 
  as 
  the 
  Entomologist 
  in 
  the 
  Agricultural 
  Department 
  

   of 
  the 
  Southern 
  Provinces, 
  Nigeria. 
  They 
  do 
  not, 
  however, 
  pretend 
  to 
  cover 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Province, 
  for 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  desirability 
  

   of 
  beginning 
  the 
  work 
  by 
  making 
  myself 
  acquainted 
  with 
  local 
  conditions 
  by 
  a 
  careful 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  problems 
  at 
  the 
  head- 
  quarters 
  of 
  the 
  Department, 
  at 
  Moor 
  

   Plantation, 
  Ibadan, 
  I 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  months 
  of 
  my 
  tour 
  should 
  be 
  spent 
  

   there, 
  hoping 
  afterwards 
  to 
  be 
  afforded 
  an 
  opportunity, 
  which 
  unfortunately 
  was 
  not 
  

   forthcoming, 
  of 
  making 
  a 
  more 
  general 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  pests 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   I 
  have 
  confined 
  my 
  remarks 
  to 
  insects 
  which 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  looked 
  on 
  as 
  real 
  pests, 
  and 
  

   have 
  made 
  no 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  bionomics 
  of 
  other 
  insects 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  to 
  

   be 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  indigenous 
  flora. 
  I 
  have 
  classified 
  the 
  pests 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   plant 
  attacked, 
  and 
  have 
  added 
  to 
  my 
  account 
  of 
  each 
  notes 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  measures 
  found 
  

   useful 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  them. 
  

  

  Cotton 
  Pests. 
  

   Insects 
  attacking 
  the 
  Leaf. 
  

  

  Cotton 
  plants 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  stage 
  were 
  frequently 
  attacked 
  by 
  a 
  leaf-miner, 
  which 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  Tineid 
  moth, 
  Acrocercops 
  bifasciata, 
  Wlsm. 
  (Plate 
  

   xvii, 
  fig. 
  10). 
  Good 
  material 
  for 
  study 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory, 
  where 
  a 
  pot 
  

   experiment 
  was 
  practically 
  ruined 
  by 
  these 
  pests. 
  The 
  larva 
  generally 
  took 
  a 
  course 
  

   characteristic 
  of 
  other 
  leaf 
  -miners 
  (Plate 
  xviii), 
  but 
  frequently, 
  when 
  several 
  were 
  

   present, 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  effect 
  was 
  produced, 
  the 
  whole 
  upper 
  epidermis 
  being 
  lifted 
  

   up 
  to 
  form 
  one 
  large 
  blister. 
  It 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  cotyledons 
  were 
  

   often 
  attacked, 
  the 
  consequence 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  vitality 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  plants 
  was 
  very 
  

   much 
  impaired. 
  The 
  pest 
  is 
  readily 
  destroyed 
  by 
  pinching 
  affected 
  leaves, 
  but 
  if 
  a 
  

   plant 
  is 
  badly 
  attacked, 
  it 
  is 
  wiser 
  to 
  destroy 
  it. 
  

  

  A 
  species 
  of 
  mite, 
  dull 
  red 
  in 
  colour, 
  was 
  detected 
  in 
  very 
  great 
  numbers, 
  late 
  in 
  

   the 
  season 
  (January), 
  running 
  about 
  under 
  a 
  very 
  delicate 
  web 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  

   the 
  leaves. 
  The 
  leaves 
  attacked 
  presented 
  a 
  characteristic 
  yellowish 
  mottled 
  dry 
  

   appearance 
  and 
  ultimately 
  fell. 
  The 
  mite 
  appears 
  to 
  bear 
  a 
  very 
  close 
  resemblance 
  

   to 
  the 
  notorious 
  " 
  red 
  spiders 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Tetranychus, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  credited 
  

   with 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  various 
  fungus 
  1 
  diseases, 
  the 
  American 
  " 
  black 
  arm 
  " 
  in 
  particular. 
  

   My 
  colleague 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  0. 
  Farquharson, 
  M.A., 
  B.Sc, 
  the 
  Government 
  Mycologist, 
  

   expressed 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  these 
  mites 
  are 
  probably 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  

   " 
  cotton 
  rust 
  " 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  pink 
  Fusarium, 
  an 
  organism 
  which 
  is 
  probably 
  concerned 
  in 
  

   the 
  causation 
  of 
  a 
  disease 
  resembling 
  " 
  black 
  arm 
  " 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  native 
  varieties,, 
  

   and 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent 
  imported 
  varieties, 
  of 
  cotton 
  were 
  badly 
  attacked. 
  Mites 
  very 
  

   similar 
  to 
  these, 
  if 
  not 
  the 
  same, 
  were 
  found 
  abundantly 
  under 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  

   various 
  species 
  of 
  Canavalia 
  and 
  on 
  certain 
  bush 
  plants. 
  No 
  treatment 
  against 
  

   cotton 
  mite 
  was 
  devised, 
  the 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  role 
  they 
  actually 
  play 
  in 
  the 
  spread 
  

   of 
  disease 
  being 
  still 
  subjudice. 
  

   <C86) 
  Wt.P8.63. 
  1000. 
  12.14. 
  B.&F.Ltd. 
  G/p.13/11. 
  A 
  

  

  