Sept, r, 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
207 
INSECT PESTS-AFFECTING PLANTING 
AND AGKICULTCRE GENERALLY 
IN CEYLON. 
“INDIAN MUSEUM NOTES,” VOL. IV., 
No. 2.-^ 
This mo.st useful aii'l interesting serial is still 
issued periodically from the Museum at Calcutta. 
The latest parr, — Vol. IV., No. 2, contains, 
amongst other valuable matter, the following 
articles of more particular interest to agricul- 
turists in Ceylon. The first .section de.scribes 
“ an Exhibit Collection of Economic Insects in 
Indian Museum.” This is a very practical 
method of giving information on the subject of 
Insect Pests, ami one which might well be imi- 
tated in Ceylon. An exhibit of this kind would 
be a valuable addition to the Museum at Pera 
deniya, where it would be more available to 
planters than if placed in Coiombo, In the 
Indian Museum, — 
“ The insect pests are arranged not in any natural 
order, but in accordance with the plants which they, 
attack ; thus the insects that attack tea and coffee 
are placed together, then those that attack cereals, 
and so on. 
Wherever necessary, the actual exhibits have been 
Bupplemetited by enlaiged illustrative diawings.” 
Atuongst the exhibits are several insects 
with which we ate fatiiiliar in Ceylon, 
viz : — ( lania crameri, the “ faggot worm” 
— common on tea : Zeuzera coffece, the coffee 
horcr : and many other old foes. The 
third part of the repot b consists of “Notes on 
Insect I’ests,” by Edward Barlow. These also 
are divided into sections according to the plants 
affected. Amongst the Tea Pests the first place 
is given to a description of the moth Thosea 
recta, the caterpillar of which is frequently 
reuorted as doing considerable damage to tea 
in Ceylon by defoliating the trees. 
As this pest is an important one the description 
may be quoted in full : 
“On the Gth May 1895, Mr. E.E Green of Punduloya 
Ceylon, forwarded to the Indian Museum specimens 
of the moth and cocoon of the species Thosea recta, 
Hampsn., also specimens of a Hymen-opterous insect 
belonging to the family lohneumonidas, said to be 
parasitic on the caterpillars of the moth, with the in- 
formation that the caterpillars had proved a serious 
pest to tea plants in Ceylon. He wrote : — “ Mr. W. 
Holland, of Balangoda, tells me that it has completely 
defoliated the trees over several acres of tea on his 
estate, and that the ground is quite black with their 
droppings. Fortunately a species of lacliina preys 
freely upon them, and eventually reduces their num- 
bers. Mr. Willisford, of Blackwater Estate, sent me 
specimens, and stated that they had stripped the 
bushes of everything but the youngest shoots over a 
field of .50 acres.” 
The following particulars are taken from a notice 
furnished by Mr. E. E Green: — Larva: Colour bright 
yellowish green with a quadrate saddle-shaped spot 
occurring on the middle of the bag ; a chain of smaller 
red spots on the median line in front, and two or three 
similar spots behind. Oval ; convex above, a marginal 
and two dorsal series of conical spinous tubercles. Co- 
coon, compact, oval, dull green, fixed to tea leaves 
or stem.” 
[Not a Tacliina, but a sirecies of Ichneumonid fly.] 
I ,iiay here take the op|;ortunity of pointing out 
two rather prominent misprints (or clerical errors 
on my part). In the description of the larva 
the large quadrate spot is on the middle of the 
* Published by Authority of the Government of 
India, Department of Revenue and Agriculture, 
back~no\j hag as printed. And the cocoon of the 
insect is dull brown, not green as .stated. In 
quoting my remarks the author has appended a 
footnote contradicting my statement that a si eeies 
of Tacliina (a 2-w'inged fly) preys freely upon 
and reduces the numbers of the caterpillars. I 
can only repeat the statement heie. The Tachina 
w'as by far the most prominent of the several 
insects that attacked rlie pe.st. Mr. Barlow was 
apparently misled by the fact th.at I at the same 
time sent him an Ichneumonid fly which also 
preys upon the insect. The best method of dealing 
with this pest is to collect and destroy the 
cocoons, before the emergence of the moths, thu.s 
prevenling a second and increased brood. The 
compact oval cocoons will generally be found 
clnstereii upon the branches and twigs of tlie 
plant. The caterpillars m:iy also be collected ; 
but as they are plentifully arrived with urticat- 
ing spines, this would notproveapleasantta.sk. 
If the field attacked should happen to be ready 
for pruning, the tea might be cut down and the 
primings burnt. 
The next insect noticed also hails from Ceylon and 
caused ^ome anxiety at the time of its first appear- 
ance. I have not, however, received any recent 
reports of damage from this pest. It is a small 
boring beetle (closely allied to the supposed; 
cause oi the present cacao disease) that riddles 
the stems and branches of tea plants. This ac- 
count, and the author’s remarks, may also be 
of interest. 
“ 2 Xyoeborus Fornicatus, Eichhoff. 
(Ord. Coleoptera, Fam. Scolytidte.) 
Plate V, fig. 2 — a, larva-, b, pupa-, o, d, imaqos $ and $ 
e, affected tea stem. 
Xylehorus fornicatus, Eichhoff. Berk Ent. Zeitschr., 
p. 151 (1868). 
On the 28th January 1895, specimens of a small 
beetle, together with pieces of tea stems riddled by 
them, were sent to the Indian Museum through Mr. E. 
E. Green, of Ceylon, from Mr. G. Alston, Superinten- 
dent of Tea Estate, Craighead, Nawalapituja. 
The insect proved, on examination, to belong to a 
species of Scolytid beetle, which has not previously 
been reported to attack tea plants in India. Speci- 
mens were therefore forwarded to Mr. W. P. H. Bland- 
ford, who very kindly examined them and identified 
them as belonging to the species Xylehorus fornicatus, 
Eichhoff, a form closely allied to the often destructive 
species Xylehorus dispar, of Europe and North 
America. 
The following is an extract from a letter furnished 
by Mr. G. Alston : — • 
“ The pest appears mostly in patches, but has spread 
very considerably since 1 first observed it in any num- 
bers three years ago. There is no evidence of any 
previous disease in attacked trees. Most of the trees 
attacked show no outward sign of the pest, except 
when almost every branch is attacked, when they turn 
rather yellow and stop flushing. Young trees about 
two years old, before they are topped, often snap off 
at the spot where the borers have made holes for their 
entrance or exit. Strong vigorous trees in good soil 
seem to be very little affected by it, and throw out good 
red wood even from badly bored stems. On the other 
hand, poor plants on ridge.s or poor soil seem to natu- 
rally feel the effect of it quickly, though in no case have 
I seen a tree kil'ed by it. Isolated branches die off, 
but new branches come out in their place. As a rule, 
you can only tell an attacked tree (except in the case of 
young plants, when the stems snap off] on pruning it, 
when the holes in the wood are very apparent. It 
(the beetle) does not attack the cut surface after- 
pruning, but makes its entrance through the bark. 
In the case of young red wood it very generally 
goes straight down the piih : in older branches I 
have often seen the wood riddled as it a charge of 
snipe-shot had been fired into it, with only one or two 
