﻿62 
  

  

  Urich 
  (F. 
  W.). 
  The 
  Sugar-cane 
  Froghopper 
  and 
  Biological 
  Notes 
  on 
  

   some 
  Cercopids 
  of 
  Trinidad. 
  — 
  Bidl. 
  Dept. 
  Agric, 
  Trinidad 
  and 
  

   Tobago, 
  Port- 
  of- 
  Spain, 
  xii, 
  no. 
  72, 
  Jan.- 
  Aug., 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  12-34, 
  

   7 
  figs., 
  6 
  pis., 
  3 
  diagms. 
  

  

  This 
  paper 
  is 
  a 
  complete 
  treatise 
  on 
  the 
  Trinidad 
  froghopper. 
  

   Records 
  of 
  allied 
  species 
  in 
  adjoining 
  countries 
  are 
  given, 
  and 
  maybe 
  

   summarised 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  In 
  Mexico, 
  Tomaspis 
  postica 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  plague 
  

   to 
  the 
  grass-lands 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Vera 
  Cruz 
  at 
  least 
  since 
  1880, 
  and 
  is 
  

   now 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  sugar-cane 
  plantations 
  there. 
  Froghoppers 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  on 
  cane 
  in 
  British 
  Guiana, 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  no 
  damage 
  is 
  reported. 
  

   In 
  1883 
  they 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  caused 
  some 
  trouble 
  in 
  British 
  Honduras. 
  

   In 
  Panama 
  specimens 
  of 
  Tomaspis 
  lepidior 
  were 
  collected 
  on 
  cane, 
  and 
  

   an 
  undetermined 
  species 
  of 
  Tomaspis 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  Cuba, 
  but 
  the 
  food- 
  

   plant 
  is 
  not 
  recorded. 
  In 
  Grenada 
  and 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  froghoppers 
  have 
  

   been 
  recorded 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  T. 
  pictipennis. 
  In 
  Suriname 
  T. 
  rubra 
  

   has 
  been 
  taken 
  on 
  Eupatorittm 
  odoratum, 
  and 
  T. 
  pubescens 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  

   grass. 
  An 
  undescribed 
  species 
  of 
  Tomaspis 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  grass 
  on 
  the 
  

   Windward 
  (north) 
  side 
  of 
  Tobago.* 
  The 
  subjects 
  next 
  dealt 
  with 
  are 
  

   the 
  origin 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  food-plants, 
  and 
  damage 
  done. 
  

   These 
  are 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  complete 
  life-history. 
  The 
  uncontrolled 
  

   progeny 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  female 
  during 
  four 
  wet 
  months 
  is 
  estimated 
  at 
  

   20,000 
  adults. 
  Hence 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  doing 
  control 
  work 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  

   season. 
  The 
  conditions 
  favourable 
  to 
  froghoppers 
  are 
  next 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  weeding, 
  burial, 
  or 
  removal 
  of 
  trash, 
  and 
  

   planting 
  of 
  cover 
  crops 
  are 
  valuable 
  remedial 
  measures. 
  Burning 
  

   the 
  trash 
  is 
  a 
  procedure 
  which 
  proves 
  unsatisfactory. 
  Seventeen 
  

   enemies 
  are 
  given 
  : 
  Two 
  birds, 
  the 
  Scissors-tail 
  Flycatcher 
  {Milvulus 
  

   tyrannus) 
  and 
  the 
  Merle 
  Corbeau 
  (Crotophaga 
  ani) 
  ; 
  a 
  ground 
  lizard 
  

   (Ameiva 
  surinamensis) 
  ; 
  a 
  toad 
  (Bufo 
  marinus) 
  ; 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  

   Attidae 
  or 
  jumping 
  spiders 
  ; 
  a 
  Mite 
  {Rhyncholophus 
  sp.) 
  ; 
  Phlugis 
  

   mantispa 
  ; 
  a 
  Mexican 
  Reduviid 
  bug 
  (Castolus 
  plagiaticollis) 
  and 
  the 
  

   Toad 
  Bug 
  (Galgulidae) 
  ; 
  several 
  ants, 
  Anochetus 
  inermis, 
  Solenopsis 
  

   geminata, 
  Monomorium 
  sp. 
  ; 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Chalcididae 
  ; 
  a 
  Syrphid 
  

   fly 
  (Salpingogaster 
  nigra) 
  ; 
  a 
  Nematode 
  (Mermis 
  sp.) 
  ; 
  and 
  two 
  

   fungi 
  (Metarrhizium 
  anisopliae 
  and 
  Empusa 
  sp.). 
  In 
  connection 
  

   with 
  natural 
  control, 
  the 
  author 
  advises 
  an 
  active 
  campaign 
  against 
  

   the 
  mongoose, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  greatest 
  enfemy 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  lizard, 
  which 
  

   he 
  thinks 
  is 
  worth 
  far 
  more 
  than 
  birds, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  froghopper 
  is 
  con- 
  

   cerned. 
  Insecticides 
  form 
  the 
  last 
  subject 
  mentioned, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  

   that 
  several 
  experiments 
  against 
  adults 
  and 
  nymphs 
  were 
  undertaken, 
  

   but 
  none 
  proved 
  effective. 
  

  

  Mention 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  besides 
  Tomaspis 
  varia 
  the 
  sugar- 
  

   cane 
  froghopper, 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  genus 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  Trinidad. 
  Luckily 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  attack 
  sugar-cane, 
  but 
  

   as 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  T. 
  varia, 
  brief 
  descriptions 
  with 
  figures 
  

   are 
  given 
  of 
  T. 
  rubra, 
  L., 
  var. 
  sororia, 
  Germ., 
  T. 
  pubescens, 
  F., 
  and 
  T, 
  

   guppyi, 
  sp., 
  n. 
  

  

  [Since 
  described 
  as 
  T. 
  carmodyi, 
  Kershaw. 
  — 
  Ed.]. 
  

  

  