﻿OF 
  THE 
  SOUTHERN 
  PROVINCES, 
  NIGERIA. 
  205 
  

  

  The 
  boring 
  beetle 
  recorded 
  as 
  attacking 
  cacao 
  on 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  was 
  not 
  found, 
  

   though 
  special 
  search 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  at 
  Agege, 
  in 
  September, 
  showed 
  evidence 
  of 
  attack 
  by 
  other 
  

   insects, 
  probably 
  Lepidopterous 
  larvae, 
  which 
  had 
  fed 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  bark. 
  

   No 
  specimens 
  were 
  then 
  obtainable, 
  but 
  the 
  offender 
  is 
  almost 
  certainly 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  

   an 
  Aegeriid 
  moth, 
  the 
  damage 
  being 
  precisely 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  produced 
  by 
  larvae 
  of 
  

   this 
  family 
  on 
  the 
  cashew 
  and 
  on 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Albizzia, 
  such 
  as, 
  Melisomimas 
  metallica, 
  

   Hmp., 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  (see 
  p. 
  245). 
  Such 
  larvae 
  are 
  particularly 
  subtle 
  in 
  their 
  mode 
  

   of 
  attack, 
  for 
  they 
  eat 
  away 
  the 
  deeper 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  bark, 
  re-inforcing 
  the 
  

   superficial 
  layers 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  with 
  silk, 
  which 
  prevents 
  any 
  very 
  obvious 
  surface 
  

   indications 
  of 
  the 
  mischief 
  which 
  is 
  proceeding, 
  the 
  result 
  being 
  that 
  areas 
  as 
  large 
  

   a,s 
  the 
  palm 
  of 
  one's 
  hand 
  are 
  eventually 
  denuded. 
  The 
  material 
  covering 
  the 
  

   pest 
  was 
  scraped 
  away, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  exposed 
  surface 
  was 
  tarred 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  

   preventing 
  fungus 
  attack. 
  

  

  The 
  notorious 
  bark-sapper, 
  Sahlbergella 
  theobroma, 
  Dist., 
  a 
  Capsid 
  bug 
  figured 
  and 
  

   described 
  by 
  Dudgeon 
  in 
  a 
  previous 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  Bulletin 
  (vol. 
  i, 
  p. 
  60, 
  Plate 
  viii) 
  

   from 
  specimens 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  occurred 
  sparingly 
  in 
  the 
  Onipe 
  district, 
  near 
  

   Ibadan. 
  It 
  is, 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  0. 
  Farquharson, 
  the 
  Mycologist, 
  who 
  is 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  insect, 
  a 
  serious 
  menace 
  to 
  the 
  cacao 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Province, 
  a 
  

   district 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  afforded 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  visiting 
  myself. 
  

  

  Small 
  Bostrychid 
  beetles 
  and 
  their 
  larvae 
  were 
  found 
  occasionally 
  boring 
  in 
  dead 
  

   cacao 
  limbs. 
  It 
  may 
  here 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  beetles 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  in 
  Nigeria 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  

   boring 
  in 
  living 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  dead 
  wood, 
  quite 
  commonly 
  in 
  Hibiscus 
  rosasinensis, 
  

   and 
  in 
  Melia 
  azedarach, 
  a 
  fact 
  at 
  variance 
  with 
  the 
  usually 
  accepted 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  

   habits. 
  

  

  Cacao 
  Scale- 
  Insects. 
  

  

  Several 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  family, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  as 
  pests 
  in 
  other 
  

   cacao-growing 
  areas 
  in 
  Africa, 
  were 
  found, 
  though 
  none 
  occurred 
  in 
  any 
  great 
  

   abundance. 
  A 
  Dactylopius, 
  either 
  longispinus, 
  Targ., 
  or 
  virgatus 
  var. 
  madagas- 
  

   cariensis, 
  Newst. 
  (Plate 
  xxi, 
  fig. 
  2), 
  was 
  found 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  growing 
  shoots 
  

   of 
  young 
  plants 
  at 
  Moor 
  Plantation 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  flower-stalks 
  and 
  small 
  pods 
  at 
  Agege. 
  

   As 
  has 
  been 
  recorded 
  elsewhere 
  (Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc, 
  1913, 
  p. 
  475) 
  both 
  these 
  scales 
  

   are 
  effectively 
  checked 
  by 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  Lycaenid 
  butterfly, 
  Spalgis 
  lemolea, 
  H. 
  H. 
  

   Druce, 
  which 
  was 
  actually 
  carrying 
  out 
  this 
  useful 
  work 
  at 
  Agege. 
  At 
  Moor 
  

   Plantation 
  this 
  scale 
  was 
  successfully 
  treated 
  by 
  brushing 
  the 
  affected 
  area 
  on 
  each 
  

   plant 
  with 
  kerosene 
  emulsion, 
  a 
  method 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  small 
  plants 
  is 
  certainly 
  

   less 
  prejudicial 
  than 
  spraying. 
  

  

  Stictococcus 
  sjostedti, 
  Newst., 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  recognised 
  cacao 
  pests 
  of 
  Western 
  Africa, 
  

   was 
  found 
  both 
  at 
  Moor 
  Plantation 
  and 
  at 
  Agege, 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  place 
  protected 
  by 
  

   the 
  large 
  red 
  ant, 
  Oecophylla. 
  The 
  natural 
  enemies 
  of 
  this 
  scale 
  already 
  recorded 
  

   in 
  Nigeria 
  (Trans. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  491 
  and 
  493) 
  are 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  Noctuid 
  

   moth, 
  Eublemma 
  ochrochroa, 
  Hmp., 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Tortricid, 
  Tortrix 
  callopista, 
  Durrant. 
  

   A 
  third 
  larva 
  was 
  also 
  found 
  eating 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  of 
  Stictococcus 
  on 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  a 
  

   species 
  of 
  Napoleonica. 
  At 
  Moor 
  Plantation, 
  though 
  not 
  at 
  Agege, 
  this 
  scale 
  showed 
  

   evidences 
  of 
  parasitism 
  by 
  Chalcids. 
  

  

  