﻿OF 
  THE 
  SOUTHERN 
  PROVINCES, 
  NIGERIA. 
  201 
  

  

  ■attached 
  to 
  a 
  wall, 
  and 
  on 
  breaking 
  this 
  away 
  a 
  boring 
  was 
  discovered, 
  which 
  was 
  

   found 
  to 
  lead 
  into 
  a 
  branching 
  passage 
  enclosing 
  several 
  closed 
  cells, 
  in 
  which 
  were 
  

   Noctuid 
  larvae 
  of 
  two 
  species, 
  Earias 
  biplaga, 
  and 
  a 
  form 
  unidentified. 
  Further 
  

   •observation 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  many 
  similar 
  tunnels, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  this 
  fact 
  

   I 
  observed 
  the 
  wasps 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  fields, 
  and 
  found 
  them 
  actively 
  searching 
  for 
  

   this 
  particular 
  prey. 
  

  

  Two 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  bollworm, 
  Pyroderces 
  simplex, 
  Wlsm., 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  

   the 
  family 
  Gelechiadae, 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Durrant 
  under 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   Mometa 
  zemiodes, 
  gen. 
  et 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  (see 
  p. 
  243), 
  were 
  also 
  studied. 
  Though 
  

   Pyroderces 
  was 
  quite 
  abundant, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  recorded 
  from 
  

   Nigeria, 
  it 
  was 
  obtained 
  as 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  1885 
  in 
  the 
  Gambia 
  by 
  Sir 
  Gilbert 
  Carter, 
  

   where 
  also 
  the 
  larva 
  was 
  found 
  attacking 
  maize. 
  A 
  full 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Durrant 
  has 
  already 
  appeared 
  in 
  this 
  Bulletin 
  (Vol. 
  iii, 
  pt. 
  2, 
  p. 
  206, 
  

   Aug. 
  1912). 
  

  

  Both 
  these 
  two 
  bollworms 
  are 
  small 
  bright 
  pink 
  caterpillars 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  

   for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  in 
  June 
  abundantly 
  in 
  belated 
  bolls 
  on 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  

   season, 
  but 
  were 
  not 
  seen 
  again 
  until 
  the 
  cotton 
  season 
  was 
  well 
  advanced. 
  

  

  Whereas 
  Diparopsis 
  and 
  Earias 
  bore 
  into 
  unopened 
  bolls 
  and 
  eat 
  away 
  both 
  the 
  

   immature 
  lint 
  and 
  seeds, 
  the 
  two 
  pests 
  under 
  consideration 
  confine 
  themselves 
  solely 
  

   to 
  the 
  seeds 
  in 
  opened 
  bolls, 
  eating 
  out 
  the 
  substance 
  till 
  only 
  the 
  husk 
  remains 
  ; 
  

   they 
  are 
  not 
  therefore 
  productive 
  of 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  extent 
  as 
  the 
  other 
  forms, 
  

   though 
  their 
  activities 
  continue 
  even 
  when 
  the 
  unginned 
  cotton 
  is 
  stored 
  away 
  in 
  bags 
  

   and 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  alive 
  in 
  seed 
  even 
  after 
  ginning. 
  The 
  larvae 
  were 
  found 
  

   occasionally 
  also 
  in 
  waste 
  seed 
  scattered 
  about 
  the 
  ginnery. 
  

  

  Both 
  the 
  larvae 
  are 
  much 
  subject 
  to 
  attack 
  by 
  a 
  Chalcid 
  parasite, 
  Chalcis 
  olethrius, 
  

   Waterston, 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  (see 
  p. 
  257), 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  bred 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory. 
  

   No 
  method 
  of 
  con 
  broiling 
  the 
  pests 
  other 
  than 
  by 
  collecting 
  and 
  destroying 
  affected 
  

   oolls 
  was 
  devised. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  when 
  the 
  plants 
  are 
  pulled 
  up 
  and 
  

   •destroyed, 
  the 
  soil 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  and 
  thoroughly 
  dug 
  up 
  and 
  turned 
  over 
  with 
  

   ■a 
  view 
  to 
  exposing 
  the 
  aestivating 
  Earias 
  pupae. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  dry 
  season 
  the 
  Pyrrhocorid 
  bug, 
  Dysdercus 
  super 
  stitiosus, 
  F., 
  

   was 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  numbers, 
  many 
  even 
  then 
  in 
  coitu, 
  sucking 
  up 
  the 
  

   secretion 
  from 
  the 
  nectaries 
  of 
  Urena 
  lobata, 
  and 
  at 
  thi? 
  time 
  they 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  

   able 
  to 
  thrive 
  on 
  almost 
  any 
  food, 
  whether 
  of 
  animal 
  or 
  vegetable 
  origin, 
  for 
  eight 
  

   or 
  ten 
  were 
  noticed 
  feeding 
  on 
  a 
  dead 
  and 
  sun-dried 
  lizard 
  and 
  a 
  batch 
  of 
  young 
  

   nymphs 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  sheep's 
  excreta. 
  They 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  support 
  themselves 
  also 
  

   on 
  various 
  fallen 
  and 
  dried 
  bush 
  seeds. 
  Later 
  on 
  these 
  cotton 
  stainers 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  guinea 
  corn, 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  high, 
  where 
  

   it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  reach 
  them, 
  and 
  even 
  on 
  ordinary 
  grass 
  panicles. 
  A 
  very 
  decided 
  

   preference 
  was 
  shown 
  for 
  okra, 
  a 
  few 
  plants 
  which 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  growing 
  near 
  

   cotton 
  and 
  with 
  their 
  fruit 
  at 
  a 
  more 
  advanced 
  stage, 
  being 
  simply 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  

   insects. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  rather 
  singular 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  black-banded 
  cotton 
  stainer, 
  Dysdercus 
  nigro- 
  

  

  Jasciatus, 
  Stal, 
  previously 
  reported 
  as 
  a 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  pest, 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  until 
  

  

  late 
  December, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  in 
  very 
  small 
  numbers 
  ; 
  neither 
  were 
  the 
  two 
  remaining 
  

  

  stainers, 
  D. 
  melanoderes, 
  Karsch, 
  and 
  Oxycarenus 
  dudgeoni, 
  Dist., 
  at 
  all 
  numerous. 
  

  

  