THE PHILIPPINE 



Journal of Science 



D. General Biology, Ethnology, 

 AND Anthropology 



Vol. X NOVEMBER, 1915 No. 6 



STUDIES IN PHILIPPINE JASSOIDEA, IV; THE IDIOCERINI OF 



THE PHILIPPINES 



By C. F. Baker 



{From the College of Agriculture, University of the Philippines, 



Los Banos, P. I.) 



TWENTY-THREE TEXT FIGURES 



The Jassoidea of the subfamily Bythoscopinse are surprisingly 

 well represented in the Philippines, especially in the tribe 

 Idiocerini. They include some economically very important 

 insects. Two of the species are controlling factors in the fruit- 

 ing of mangoes in many parts of these Islands, and the life 

 histories of these need careful investigation, looking toward 

 methods of control. The benefit that the Filipinos ascribe to 

 the smudging of the trees at the time of flowering comes through 

 the driving out of the swarms of these injurious insects, which 

 frequent the flower clusters. 



Taxonomic work in these groups is exceedingly difficult. All 

 of the oriental species in the Idiocerini would have been referred 

 without question to Idiocerus twenty years ago. No one would 

 have thought of separating "genera" out of so homogeneous a 

 group. However, Distant has separated three critical genera 

 without fully diagnosing them, and Kirkaldy separated two — one 

 critically separated group, and one very well marked. In con- 

 tinuing the study of oriental material, there are two alter- 

 natives — ^to make all of the genera described by Distant and one 

 described by Kirkaldy subgenera of Idiocerus, or to follow their 

 lead to its logical conclusion and separate a number of additional 

 coordinate groups as genera. The latter course is followed in 

 this paper, although the entire subject will have to be reviewed 

 and readjusted in connection with extensive European, African, 

 and American material. This will leave entomologists to their 



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