361 



NOTES ON SOME INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL mSECTS OF AUS- 

 TRALIA AND TASMANIA. 



By F. M. Webster. 



The followiug observ^ations, made duriug a hurried visit to these 

 islands, may not be entirely devoid of interest to American entomolo- 

 gists. The value of these random notes will, however, be of minor 

 service only, to colonial entomologists, owing to the fact that in the 

 majority' of cases, I have not been able to secure the names of the species 

 under consideration. 



We arrived in Tasmania in season to witness the last of an invasion 

 of the "Green Bug," Dipliucephala splendens, one of the Scarahceidce, of a 

 brilliant blue color and about the size of our Dichelonycha fuscula. On 

 the 29th of January we visited the garden of I\lr. Bidencope, near Ho- 

 bart, and found a great many of his plum and cherry trees had been 

 entirely defoliated, and some of his ajjple trees had suffered nearly as 

 severely by attacks of these beetles. Pear trees were only slightly in- 

 jured, and the same was true of strawberry plants. Gooseberries and 

 black currants were not touched. They are said to also attack grain. 

 The beetles had first appeared about six weeks before, and at the time 

 of my visit had nearly all disappeared, myriads of dead being found on 

 the ground, and a few live individuals were still to be found on roses, 

 of which they appeared to be especially fond. They are stated to occur 

 about Hobart, regularly every four years, and are supposed to originate 

 in the woods, on the Wattle. They occur in different localities during 

 different years, as Mr. Keen, of Kingston, about ten miles south of Ho- 

 bart, stated that next season would be their year to appear in his locality. 

 The same gentleman stated that he had observed them periodically for 

 the last twenty years, and had known them to be blown across the river 

 Derwent, near Blackman's bay, in such swarms as to commit serious 

 depredations. The same species is similarly destructive in the colony 

 of Victoria, Australia. In method of attack, and, indeed, in the actions 

 of the adult in general, they greatly resemble our " Eose Bug," Macro- 

 dactyhts subspinosus, and there is reason to believe that they could be 

 successfully fought with pyrethrum. 



Another very injurious insect, and one that appears to be very nu- 

 merous in Tasmania, is a species of Earwig {Forjicida sp.) which eats 

 into and destroys ripe fruits. It seems to me that these could be easily 

 trapped, as I found them swarming in orchards and gardens, under 

 boards and rubbish, and also on the bands on fruit trees used against the 

 Codlin Moth which were literally alive with them. 



The Codlin Moth appears to be doing serious injury in most of the 

 Australian colonies. The band system, the only generally applied pre- 

 ventive, seems to result as unsatisfactorily as it has in America. Our 

 Australian cousins appear to be well provided with laws, looking 



