﻿277 
  

  

  Ballaud 
  (E.). 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  insect 
  pests 
  of 
  crops 
  in 
  

   the 
  Nyasaland 
  Protectorate. 
  — 
  Bi/JL 
  Entom. 
  Research, 
  London, 
  iv. 
  

   pt. 
  4. 
  Feb. 
  1914. 
  pp. 
  347-351. 
  

  

  A 
  list 
  is 
  given 
  of 
  those 
  insects 
  of 
  economic 
  importance 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  collected 
  or 
  bred 
  from 
  various 
  crops 
  in 
  Nyasaland 
  during 
  the 
  

   first 
  three 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  planting 
  season 
  1911-12 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  

   the 
  season 
  1912-13. 
  Insect 
  pests 
  of 
  first-class 
  importance 
  are 
  ten 
  

   in 
  number 
  and 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  cotton, 
  tobacco 
  and 
  maize 
  ; 
  the 
  others 
  

   included 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  have 
  done 
  sufficient 
  damage 
  to 
  justify 
  regarding 
  

   them 
  as 
  pests, 
  or 
  are 
  such 
  that 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  their 
  numbers 
  would 
  

   be 
  a 
  danger 
  to 
  crops 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  taken 
  to 
  feeding. 
  Orthoptera 
  : 
  

   AcRiDiiDAE 
  : 
  The 
  most 
  destructive 
  are 
  Maura 
  bolivari, 
  Kirby, 
  and 
  

   Chrotogonus 
  sp., 
  both 
  pests 
  of 
  tobacco 
  ; 
  less 
  harmful 
  are 
  Acrida 
  

   turritu, 
  L. 
  on 
  tobacco 
  and 
  Zonocenis 
  elegans, 
  Thumb. 
  Gryllidae 
  : 
  

   Brachytrypes 
  membranaceiis, 
  F., 
  sometimes 
  eats 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  cotton 
  

   plants. 
  

  

  Lepidoptera 
  : 
  — 
  Noctuidae 
  : 
  Diparojms 
  castanea, 
  Hmp. 
  (the 
  Red 
  

   Boll-worm), 
  a 
  major 
  cotton 
  pest 
  of 
  great 
  importance 
  ; 
  CJiIoridea 
  

   ohsoleta, 
  F., 
  destroys 
  the 
  bolls 
  and 
  flowers 
  of 
  cotton 
  and 
  attacks 
  

   maize, 
  tobacco 
  seed-pods, 
  and 
  chick-peas 
  ; 
  Earias 
  insidana, 
  Boisd., 
  

   a 
  cotton 
  pest, 
  but 
  partly 
  kept 
  in 
  check 
  by 
  an 
  ichneumon 
  parasite 
  ; 
  

   it 
  is 
  also 
  foimd 
  on 
  garden 
  Hibiscus 
  ; 
  Eiixoa 
  segetum, 
  Schiff., 
  is 
  respon- 
  

   sible 
  for 
  much 
  loss 
  in 
  tobacco 
  fields 
  by 
  cutting 
  the 
  stems 
  ; 
  Prodenia 
  

   litura, 
  F., 
  occurs 
  on 
  tobacco, 
  cotton 
  and 
  maize, 
  and 
  was 
  once 
  found 
  

   on 
  tea 
  ; 
  other 
  species 
  damaging 
  cotton 
  by 
  eating 
  the 
  leaves 
  in 
  the 
  

   first 
  stages 
  of 
  growth 
  are 
  Plusia 
  orichalcea, 
  F., 
  Cosmophila 
  erosa, 
  Hb., 
  

   Gonitis 
  sabulifera, 
  Guen., 
  Phisia 
  chalcites 
  and 
  Acontia 
  graellsii, 
  Feisth. 
  

   Busseola 
  fusca, 
  Hmp., 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  pests 
  in 
  the 
  Protectorate, 
  

   causing 
  a 
  great 
  annual 
  loss 
  in 
  the 
  native 
  gardens 
  by 
  boring 
  in 
  the 
  stems 
  

   of 
  maize 
  and 
  millet. 
  Pteronycta 
  fasciata, 
  Hmp. 
  (gen. 
  et 
  sp. 
  nov.) 
  

   bores 
  in 
  the 
  stems 
  of 
  cotton, 
  which 
  are 
  consequently 
  very 
  liable 
  to 
  

   be 
  broken 
  by 
  the 
  wind 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  uncommon. 
  Limacodidae 
  : 
  

   Parana 
  vivida, 
  Walk., 
  is 
  an 
  occasional 
  but 
  destructive 
  pest 
  of 
  coffee. 
  

   Lymantriidae 
  : 
  Heteronygmia 
  leucogyna, 
  Hmp., 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  of 
  

   mahogany. 
  Pyralidae 
  : 
  Sylepta 
  derogata, 
  F. 
  is 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  Zomba 
  

   district, 
  but 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  of 
  cotton 
  further 
  north 
  ; 
  the 
  larvae 
  

   are 
  parasitised 
  by 
  a 
  Chalcid. 
  Tineidae 
  : 
  Phthorimaea 
  heliopa, 
  

   Lower, 
  a 
  stem-borer 
  of 
  young 
  tobacco 
  and 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  ; 
  Gracilaria 
  

   sp. 
  nov. 
  ?, 
  a 
  common, 
  but 
  at 
  present 
  not 
  serious, 
  pest 
  of 
  cotton. 
  

   Nymphalidae 
  : 
  Hypolimnas 
  misippvs, 
  L. 
  on 
  cotton. 
  

  

  Coleoptera 
  : 
  — 
  Lagriidae 
  : 
  Lagria 
  villosa, 
  F., 
  moderately 
  destructive 
  

   in 
  vegetable 
  gardens 
  to 
  leguminous 
  plants. 
  Galerucidae 
  : 
  Ootheca 
  

   miitahilis, 
  Sahib., 
  on 
  cotton, 
  leguminous 
  and 
  cucurbitaceous 
  plants 
  ; 
  

   Diacantha 
  conifera, 
  Fairm., 
  also 
  on 
  leguminous 
  and 
  cucurbitaceous 
  

   plants 
  ; 
  Asbecesta 
  cyanipennis, 
  Har., 
  on 
  leguminous 
  plants 
  ; 
  Pachytoma 
  

   gigantea, 
  FIL, 
  on 
  Mlanje 
  cypress. 
  Tenebrionidae 
  : 
  Zoj^hosis 
  sp., 
  a 
  

   minor 
  pest 
  of 
  cotton 
  and 
  tobacco 
  ; 
  Gonocephalum 
  simplex, 
  F., 
  on 
  

   tobacco. 
  Meloidae 
  : 
  Mylabris 
  tricolor, 
  Gerst,. 
  M. 
  amplectens, 
  

   Gerst., 
  M. 
  dicincita, 
  Bert., 
  Decatoma 
  catenata, 
  Gerst., 
  are 
  all 
  destructive 
  

   flower-eaters, 
  occurring 
  on 
  cotton; 
  Cerodis 
  trifurca, 
  Gerst., 
  eats 
  the 
  

   flowers 
  of 
  soya 
  and 
  velvet 
  beans. 
  Curculionidae 
  : 
  Apion 
  armipes, 
  

   Wagn., 
  on 
  cotton 
  ; 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Isaniris 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  but 
  not 
  very 
  destruc- 
  

  

  