CITRUS FRUIT INSECTS IN MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES. 19 
has been noted in several instances to cause a heavy dropping of the 
leaves, and it is one of the commonest scales occurring on the fruit in 
the markets. This may be partly because it adheres so firmly to the 
fruit and is not easily removed by rubbing. While it occurs abun- 
dantly in Sicily it is not extremely injurious to the tree, nor does it dis- 
tort the fruit as does Aspidiotus liederae. 
NATURAL ENEMIES. 
This scale is especially free from parasites. On one occasion 
AspidiotipJiagus citrinus was obtained from material infested by 
zizyphus, but it can not be positively stated that there were not a few 
purple scales among the material, so the record remains doubtful. 
THE OLEANDER SCALE. 
Aspidiotus hederae Vail. 1 
DISTRIBUTION AND LNJURY. 
The cosmopolitan and omnivorous oleander scale is found through- 
out Spain and Italy and is an important pest on ripe lemons in the 
latter country during the spring and early summer. (PL III, figs. 
1 and 2.) It was also observed on oranges in Spain, but is less injuri- 
ous on oranges there than on lemons in Italy. In California the same 
scale occurs occasionally on old over-ripe oranges and lemons, but is 
of no commercial importance. In May and June it is really a pest of 
much economic importance in Italy. If such infestation occurred in 
California, it would certainly mean fumigation. As much as 90 per 
cent of the fruit in some of the by-product factories has been seen 
infested with this scale. Most of such fruit was brought there because 
of it. 
The oleander scale very seriously distorts the growth of the lemon 
in Italy. (PL III, fig. 1.) TVhere the scale occurs there will be a 
depression, so that the fruit has a rough and uneven appearance and 
when numerous it becomes badly misshapen and distorted. The scale 
also delays the coloring of the lemon, and such fruit can be distin- 
guished at a long distance by its blotches of yellow and green. While 
the inferior fruit caused by the scale is considerable in Italy, it is 
not a complete loss because it is acceptable for the by-product fac- 
tory. On the Amalfi coast, where fruit of the finest texture is pro- 
duced, it would seem that spraying, at a time when the young first 
appear, would hi many cases be profitable. 
NATURAL ENEMIES. 
A species of Aphelinus is the commonest parasite on this scale hi 
Italy. On host plants other than Citrus this parasite was some- 
times seen in very large numbers. AspidiotipJiagus citrinus has also 
been taken from A. liederae. 
1 Italian, Bianco; Sicilian, Bianca o rugna. 
