bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Tsetse Problem on the Eastern Cattle Route in the Gold Coast
Authors: Pomeroy A. W. J. , Morris K. R. S.
Published: July 2009

1. Primary fly-belts round Makongo consisted of three different vegetational communities: a Cynometra-Vitex association along the main length of the Makongo river, on a clay soil; a Ficus congensis association along the river close to the town, on a sandy soil; and Isoberlinia doka woodland on moist sandy soil north-west and south of Makongo.

2. Secondary fly-belts of less dense vegetation occur in the orchard bush savannah round Makongo, and these are not colonised until the commencement of the rainy season.

3. Glossina tachinoides and G. palpalis both occurred in the riverside communities, and G. palpalis alone in the Isoberlinia woodland.

4. Along the river G. palpalis outnumbered G. tachinoides by 3:1 in the dry season. At the commencement of the rains G. tachinoides increased more quickly than G. palpalis, bringing their numbers very nearly equal, but at the end of the rains there was a decrease in G. tachinoides which restored the original proportion.

5. G. morsitans had been found at Makongo formerly but was not met with at the time of this investigation, its absence being due to the disappearance of the larger antelope from the neighbourhood.

6. Smaller game animals, small mammals and reptiles afforded an adequate food supply for tsetse in the fly-belts, and also passing herds of cattle, as well as natives from the village and travellers.

7. The distribution of G. palpalis within the fly-belts was markedly influenced by the proximity of a cattle road along which herds of cattle passed almost daily, and by village water-holes.

8. During the dry season the primary foci were always found to be the places of greatest relative humidity, and the fly does not tend to move out of these until the general atmospheric humidity has reached a certain fairly high degree.

9. In clearing the fly-belts the removal of all primary foci within a quarter of a mile of the town and of thick bush within 100 yards of water-holes was undertaken. The work lasted from the beginning of February to the end of March 1931.

10. The effect of clearing the Isoberlinia doka woodland was to banish G. palpalis completely, and it never returned to these clearings.

11. On clearing the riverside Ficus congensis fly-belt, G. tachinoides was practically eliminated for the first three months, but reappeared in the clearings in June when there was a general increase and up-stream migration of this fly. G. palpalis remained in this clearing in fluctuating numbers up to June, when observations were suspended.

12. 565 marked tsetse were liberated in the fly-belts immediately previous to clearing. Of G. palpalis 12·7% were recaptured in the clearings and 11% outside the clearings. Of G. tachinoides 5·5% were recaptured in the clearings and 6·8% outside.
The Determination of the Age of Anopheles by Differences in the Size of the Common Oviduct
Authors: Mer G.
Published: July 2009

A procedure is described which makes it possible to differentiate nuUiparous from multiparous A. elutus and hence newly hatched from old mosquitos.
On two Species of Apanteles (Hym. Brac.) not previously recognised from the Western Palaearctic Region
Authors: Wilkinson D. S.
Published: July 2009

In this paper I am redescribing and giving some interesting, new, biological information with regard to two species of Apanteles, of which one, A. compressiventris, has not previously been recorded in the Old World, and the other, A. plutellae, not previously recorded from the Western Palaearctic Region; and I believe that it is better to communicate this information at this time rather than to wait until the completion of the monograph upon which it is known that I am engaged, a matter yet of some years.
The Holly Leaf-miner (Phytomyza ilicis, Curt.) and its Parasites
Authors: Cameron Ewen
Published: July 2009

1. In Canada, European holly (Ilex aquifolium) can only be grown successfully in the mild, humid climate of western British Columbia. The sales of cut holly for decorative purposes amount to several hundred thousand dollars annually, and the tree is also in good demand for ornamental planting in public parks and private estates.

2. The most serious pest of holly in this part of the world is the Agromyzid fly,Phytomyza ilicis, or the Holly Leaf-miner, which was accidentally introduced from Europe without its attendant natural enemies. The larvae of this insect produce large unsightly blotches on the leaves which greatly lower the value of the cut foliage. As a rule 75 to 80 per cent. of the leaves are attacked in this manner.

3. Since chemical forms of restraint offered little hope of success, it was decided that the biological method of control should be given a trial. Accordingly, the writer undertook a general survey of the fly and its parasites in England, the results of which are described in the preceding pages. An account of the biological control ofP. iliciswill be published in a separate paper at a later date.

4. A general account of the systematics, synonymy, distribution, host relationship, and biology of the holly fly itself precedes the parasite section.
A new Epipyrops from India (Lep., Epipyropidae)
Authors: Fletcher T. Bainbrigge
Published: July 2009

♂. Expanse 8–9 (Fw. 4·5)mm. Head rather small, rounded, rather rough-scaled; whitish, irrorated with large blackish scales: viewed frontally, rather broad, eyes small but projecting slightly, space between eyes rather more than twice diameter of one eye as seen from this aspect: mouth-parts aborted, represented only by a small projecting tuft of hairs edged beneath with whitish. Antenna under half: scape short, stout, beneath with pecten of short stout bristly hairs: shaft bifid at apex, bipectinate, with 13 pairs of very long, finely-ciliated branches, each of even breadth but very slightly incrassate and spatulate at its tip; shaft white-scaled, spotted with black above point of emission of each branch; branches white, spotted with blackish and pale brown, black-brown at tips. Thorax blackish with long hair-scales. Abdomen short, not reaching tornus of hindwing, blackish, posterior margins of segments narrowly white; anal tuft small, white. Legs fuscous, tarsi lined white: foreleg without epiphysis: tibiae without spurs but with slight apical spines.
A new Species of Dieuches, Dohrn (Hem. Lygaeidae) injurious to Strawberries in Tasmania
Authors: Evans J. W.
Published: July 2009

The Lygaeid bug described below has been well known as a pest of strawberries in Tasmania for a long time, both Thompson (1895) and Lea (1908) having given particulars of its activities under the name of the “Strawberry Bug.” Lea mentions that it also occurs in Victoria and New South Wales, but as it belongs to cosmopolitan genus with a world-wide distribution, it is possible that the Tasmanian species is distinct.
On the Genera of the Diprionidae (Hymenoptera Symphyta)
Authors: Benson Robert B.
Published: July 2009

In preparing the part dealing with the Diprionidae in a synopsis of the British sawflies I came upon several morphological characters that, if used or made more use of, would greatly facilitate the naming and classification of this economically important group of insects. A comparison between Neodiprion and Diprion (s.l.) revealed at once striking differences in the shape of the meso-scutellum, the sculpture of the abdomen and the anal cell in the hindwing, characters easily visible in the field and therefore of great importance to the economic entomologist. Diprion pini, L., and similis, Hartig, were found to differ from the other Diprion species, among other things, in their small cenchri, a character easily visible in the field, and the genus has been divided.
On the Nature and Origin of the Diapause in Platyedra gossypiella, Saund
Authors: Squire F. A.
Published: July 2009

Although it may be convenient to distinguish them, hibernation, aestivation, and diapause are in reality different manifestations of the same phenomenon which we may call diapause. The symptoms of this condition are a marked depression of metabolism and quiescence; and the remote causes as suggested by observation are cold, heat, drought and (or) certain nutritional peculiarities such as richness or dryness of food. These factors may act singly or in combination, with different factors dominant in different cases.
Hymenopterous Parasites of Willow Insects
Authors: Callan E. McC.
Published: July 2009

1. Eight Ichneumonoidea, fourteen Chalcidoidea and six Proctotrupoidea are recorded as parasites of willow insects.

2. The majority of records are of parasites bred from insects inhabiting the wood of the cricket bat willow, Salix alba var. caerulea, Smith, the more important being Torymus pulchellus, Thoms., Tridymus salicis, Nees, Eupelmus urozonus, Dalm., Microterys clavellatus, Dalm., Tetrastichus roesellae, DeG., Tetrastichus inunctus, Nees, Tetrastichus flavovarius, Nees, Tetrastichus ? acuminatus, Ratz., and Platygaster sp.

3. Microterys clavellatus is recorded for the first time as a parasite of Cecidomyiidae.

4. Evidence is given for the separation of the gall-midges, Rhabdophaga sp. and R. saliciperda, Duf., as distinct species based both on structural differences and on a study of their parasites, for the three parasites found most commonly attacking Rhabdophaga sp. were never bred from R. saliciperda, and the most common species parasitizing R. saliciperda was never obtained from Rhabdophaga sp.

5. It is confirmed that Eurytoma salicis, Thoms., supplements its animal diet with vegetable food.

6. The rate of parasitism of Euura atra, Jur., by Eurytoma salicis is given as 19·8 per cent., and that of Rhabdophaga sp. by Platygaster sp. as 40·5 per cent.

7. Histograms are given of Rhabdophaga sp. and its parasites, Torymus pulchellus, Thoms., Tetrastichus roesellae, DeG., and Platygaster sp., the emergence of Platygaster sp. coinciding approximately with that of its host.
A new African Diapriid (Hym., Proctrupoidea)
Authors: Nixon G. E. J.
Published: July 2009

Through Dr. O. W. Richards, the Imperial Institute of Entomology has recently received for identification specimens of a Trichopria parasitic on two species of tsetse-flies. It appears to be new and, since it may play a part in the control of its hosts, is described below.
Notes on Ethiopian Anophelini
Authors: De Meillon B. , Leeson H. S.
Published: July 2009

Edwards (Bull. Ent. Res., 1930, 21, p. 290) originally described this species from the Belgian Congo. Two further adults from Ndola, N. Rhodesia, were examined by Evans (Mosquitoes of the Ethiopian Region, II, Anophelini, 1938, p. 246) who noted that these differed from the type species in having the costa without a pale sector spot and the third vein with a large dark area at the apex. The present specimens (also from Ndola) show that these differences are not constant; in one of the two females there is a small sector spot present on one wing, the other wing and both wings in the second female have no sector spot, both females have a rather small dark area at the apex of the third vein. In two of the three males a sector spot is present on both wings, while in the third specimen this spot is absent from both wings. On the whole the wings may be said to be darker than those of typical walravensi from the Congo, and these Ndola specimens may be taken as representing a darker form but not worth subspecific rank. Associated with these five adults were four larval pelts and five pupal pelts obtained from isolated specimens. We therefore take this opportunity of describing the larva and pupa.
Two new Pests of Apple and Black Currant
Authors: Barnes H. F.
Published: July 2009

To be forewarned is to be forearmed and it is for this reason that the following information has been written concerning a gall midge which has recently been reported attacking apple blossom in Japan and another gall midge which attacks black currant flowers in Finland. Both prevent the formation of fruit. It is possible that either or both of these pests may appear in other countries.
The Indian Species of Calandra, F. (Col. Curcul.)
Authors: Marshall Guy A. K.
Published: July 2009

The grain weevils of the genus Calandra, F., are more strongly represented in the Oriental Region than in any other part of the world. In addition to the eight Indian species dealt with in the following key, four others have been recorded from further east, and some ten additional undescribed species are known to me, mostly from the Malayan Subregion.
On some Parasites and Hyperparasites of Artona catoxantha, Hamps
Authors: Ferrière Ch.
Published: July 2009

The Institute of Plant Diseases at Buitenzorg has been engaged in the study of the well-known coconut pest, Artona catoxantha, Hamps., and has sent to the Imperial Institute of Entomology a large and very interesting collection of its parasites and hyperparasites. We understand that Dr. J. v. d. Vecht is preparing a paper on the ecology of this Zygaenid. To complete his studies on the life-histories of all these parasites we have been asked to make a special study of the Chalcids.
Investigations on the Cotton Bollworm, Heliothis armigera, Hübn
Authors: Parsons F. S.
Published: July 2009

Studies of the food-plant associations of Heliothis armigera have elicited the information that, for all practical purposes, egg-laying may be considered as confined to the period of florescence. Evidence of coincidence of the oviposition and flowering curves is submitted for 21 species of short-flowering crops and 8 species of long-flowering crops. All told, records taken in nearly 1,000 crops have been consulted for the conclusions drawn.

As regards short-flowering species, the peaks, as well as the confines, of the oviposition and flowering curves are related closely. But oviposition on long-flowering species may decline while flowering is still in progress, or two or more waves of oviposition may be evident according to the number of moth flights spanned by the flowering period. The courses of oviposition on long-flowering species of crop in the given instances are interpreted through knowledge of the train of moth flights: although egg-laying in quantity occurs within the flowering period, peak layings frequently are not aligned with maximum flower production because the calendar times of moth flights are displaced in relation thereto.
Bionomics and Control of the Indian Sugar-cane Leaf-hopper, Pyrilla perpusilla, Wlk. (Rhynchota, Fulg.) in the Punjab
Authors: Rahman Khan A. , Nath Ram
Published: July 2009

Pyrilla perpusilla, Wlk., is one of the most destructive sugar-cane pests in the Punjab. It is widely distributed and, in addition to sugar-cane, it also feeds on wheat, barley, oats, maize, “chari” and a number of grasses.

Descriptions of the egg, nymphal and adult stages are given.

A female can lay 773 eggs in its life-time. The eggs are laid in clusters on the food-plants and are covered with whitish fluffy material. The egg stage occupies 7–12 days during April–October and 20–41 days during November–March. There are five nymphal instars. The nymphal stage occupies 24–65 days during April–September and 78–208 days during October–March.

Both adults and nymphs do damage. They prefer to feed on those varieties of sugar-cane which have broad, fleshy and succulent leaves and thick, soft stems. As a result of their feeding sucrose is reduced by as much as 34·2 per cent., while the glucose ratio may be trebled.

The pest is parasitised by the following insects:—Ooencyrtus papilionis, Ashm., Tetrastichus pyrillae, Craw., and Lestrodryinus pyrillae, Kieff. (Hymenoptera); and Pyrilloxenos compactus, Pierce (Stylopidae). The following are predacious upon it: Brumus suturalis, F., Chilomenes sexmaculatus, F., Coccinella septempunctata, L., and C. undecimpunctata, L. (Col.), and Epipyrops sp. (Lep.). The incidence and duration of the life-cycles of these parasites and predators are given.

To control the pest the following measures are suggested:—(1) Destruction of the adults by hand nets during April; (2) destruction of the eggs by crushing during April; (3) destruction of the nymphs by a new hopperdozer during November–March; (4) dusting with nicotine dust or spraying with nicotine sulphate-fish oil soap mixture.
The Distribution and Migrations ofLocustain Europe
Authors: Waloff Z. V.
Published: July 2009

1. From the study of the historical records of European invasions byLocustafrom the 14th century to the present day, it is concluded that the subspecies concerned wasL. m. migratoriaoriginating in the West Pontian outbreak area. This area formerly comprised the lower courses of rivers draining into the Black Sea from the Danube to the Dniepr inclusive, and is now confined to the delta of the Danube. From here swarms migrated into central Europe and the eastern part of the north European plain. The northern part of the plain, the British Isles and Fenno-Scandia, lie on the outskirts of the invasion area, and as a rule were only reached by small detachments from swarms. The decline of the West Pontian outbreak centres was accompanied by the gradual decline of the area subject to invasions by large swarms, but during outbreaks small groups and separate individuals of ph.gregariacontinue to reach the further limits of the invasion area.

2. The distances covered within a single generation by swarms ofL. m. migratoriain temperate Europe (up to 1,600 miles) were comparable in extent to those traversed byL. m. migratorioidesin tropical Africa.

3. Long-range migrations to the extreme limits of the invasion area are not confined toL. m. migratoriaph.gregariabut occur also in ph.solitaria. This is shown by the arrival of individuals of this phase in the British Isles during theperiod when the West Pontian outbreak areas are in a quiescent state. From this and from literature data on other locust species it is concluded that long-range migration is a regular seasonal phenomenon in swarming acrididae, independent of the presence of large numbers or the phase.

4. The late summer immigration ofL. m. migratoriainto the British Isles may be a part of a more general east to west movement of flying insects which may occur in Europe at that season.

5. It is probable thatL. m. migratoriasometimes oviposit in the British Isles, for they may arrive in a mature state, or during exceptionally hot summers in southeastern England they may reach sexual maturity after arrival. The eggs, however, are apparently unable to survive winter conditions.
The Prevention of Outbreaks of the Pine Beetles under War-time Conditions
Authors: Hanson S.
Published: July 2009

During the last twenty years, the Forestry Commission, several local authorities, and a large number of private woodland owners, have expended a total of several million pounds in an endeavour to replace the stocks of growing timber which were so heavily depleted during the last war. Several hundred thousand acres have been planted and a large proportion of these areas have been stocked with coniferous species.
The Control of Coccidae on Coconuts in Seychelles
Authors: Vesey-Fitzgerald Desmond
Published: July 2009

1. The investigation which forms the subject of this paper was commenced in 1936 and closed in 1939. Owing to the low returns from an acre of coconut land it was imperative that control measures should be cheap. Biological methods were therefore employed.

2. The soils on which coconuts are planted in Seychelles fall into three main types: (a) beds of coral sand, (b) various types of transported soils, (c) sedentary soils.

3. The robustness of the trees was found to be in direct proportion to the quality of the soil. The best trees are located on the deeper alluviums. The limiting factor on the coral sands is often drainage. On the hill-sides the trees deteriorate in proportion to the soil impoverishment and erosion.

4. A complex of scale species attack coconuts in Seychelles. None of these presents major problems in other countries, and the better known scales which are pests on this crop in other countries are not found in Seychelles. Four major species are mentioned, two of which are recent introductions to the islands. The life-history and particular requirements of each species are given and their incidence on coconut and their interspecific relationships are discussed.

5. In order to combat these scales four species of Coccinellidaewere introduced from East Africa, two of which were predators on Diaspid and two on Lecaniid scales. The life-history, breeding technique and establishment of each is described.
A Physiological Study of Mosquito Larvae which were treated with Anti-malarial Oils
Authors: Watson G. I.
Published: July 2009

On 25th August 1914, the medical officer in charge of a rubber estate in Malaya wrote to the manager a report about a new method of polluting Anopheline breeding-places: “It will interest your Directors to learn that by oiling with the mixture in use on Sungei Way, one of the ravines in the West Divisions has been kept free fromAnophelesfor several months. Formerly they bred freely in it. I am encouraged to think that this is not merely due to the physical difficulty the larvae would have of getting air when oil is on the water, but that some change has actually taken place in the water as a consequence of the oil, and a change which would make it uncongenial to the stream-breeding mosquito. My reason for thinking this is that in the bottom of the ravine a green slime has developed, in the presence of which I have never found dangerous anophelines” (Watson, M. 1921). Before 1914 oil had been used on standing water, and poisons had been used in running water (Howard, Dyar & Knab, 1912) to reduce the breeding of mosquitoes. But this discovery, that it could be effectively and economically used even on fast-flowing streams to controlAnopheles, made the use of oilpar excellencethe great standby in emergencies of malaria; while it may be the method of choice if control measures are only required for two or three months in each year.
Notes on the Behaviour ofGlossina pallidipesandG. brevipalpis, and some Comparisons withG. morsitans
Authors: Jack Rupert W.
Published: July 2009

1.G. pallidipesalmost invariably attacks man on the leg from the knee downwards.

2.G. brevipalpismay attack man anywhere and not infrequently on the head.

3. Both species fill themselves readily with human blood once an attack has been made.

4. Neither sex of either species attacks man unless very hungry, as indicated by the very low mean fat content in the captures.

5.G. brevipalpisis apparently more reluctant even thanpallidipesto attack man, and the fat contents in flies caught on man are proportionally lower than in the case ofpallidipes.
The Relative Size of the Eye as a Phase Character in the African Migratory Locust
Authors: Thomas J. G.
Published: July 2009

The relative size of the compound eye constitutes a good phase character in Locusta migratoria migratorioides, the ratio E/D (length of elytra to the maximum vertical diameter of eye) being over 15 in the males and about 16 in females of the gregarious phase, as against about 13 in the males and about 14·5 in the females of the solitary phase.
Helopeltis (Hem., Capsidae) on Cinchona
Authors: Kirkpatrick T. W.
Published: July 2009

The observations here recorded have been made between April and October 1940, at Amani, Tanganyika Territory.

Two distinct varieties of Helopeltis occur on cinchona at Amani, which correspond well with the descriptions of H. bergrothi, Reut. var. rubrinervis, Popp., and H. bergrothi var. disciger, Popp. (Poppius, 1911).
The recorded Distribution of certain Fleas
Authors: Buxton P. A.
Published: July 2009

As time passes and knowledge accumulates, it becomes more and more difficult and tedious to know whether a certain insect has been recorded from a particular region or country. The present note is an attempt to save other people's time and to set down what is recorded about the geographical distribution of five species of flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, astia and brasiliensis, Nosopsyllus (Ceratophyllus) fasciatus and Pulex irritans.
Two new Methods of trapping the Cacao Moth (Ephestia cautella)
Authors: Golding F. D.
Published: July 2009

1. Two new methods of trapping Ephestia cautella adults in cacao stores are described.

2. In the first method, devised by Mr. J. K. B. Lee, broom strands are treated with an adhesive and then suspended from twine in the alleyways between the stacked bags. Mr. Lee heated two parts of coagulated até (derived from the latex of a species of Carpodinus) with one part of palm oil and applied the adhesive, while hot, to the strands. The writer carried out a long series of experiments with various adhesives, with the object of perfecting the broom strand method, and finally came to the conclusion that the best adhesives for general use were those made by heating three parts of coagulated até with one part of either shea butter or palm oil. The adhesive should be allowed to cool before applying it to the strands.

3. It was discovered, in the Port Harcourt area, that carbolic soap solution is an excellent medium for use in dish traps. The writer found that carbolic soap solution caught many more moths than the standard medium used in Nigeria. Several other types of soap, both imported and locally made, proved to be nearly as effective as carbolic soap. The best strength for carbolic soap solution was found to be from 1 to 2 oz. soap per gal. water.

4. The infestation of ground-nuts by Ephestia is discussed, and the opinion is expressed that this could be considerably reduced if it were found practicable to reduce the length of the export season from 12 to 7 months.
A new Atomaria from Mushroom-beds in South Africa (Col., Cryptophagidae)
Authors: Hinton H. E.
Published: July 2009

I have been asked by the Imperial Institute of Entomology to identify a beetle found in mushroom-beds in South Africa. This beetle proves to be a new species of Atomaria. The genus Atomaria consists of about 165 species chiefly confined to the holarctic region. One of these, A. linearis, Stephens, is sometimes a serious pest of sugar-beet and mangold, eating the leaves and roots. Other species, e.g. A. nigripennis (Kugelann) and A. atricapilla, Stephens, are found in houses, cellars and warehouses, where they probably feed on fungi.
Taxonomic notes on a collection of Fulgoroidea from tea in southern India
Authors: Ghauri M. S. K.
Published: July 2009

Melicharia obtusanguloides sp.n. (Flatidae) infesting tea in southern India is desscribed and compared with M. obtusangula Distant and Idume plicata Melichar whose male genitalia are illustrated. The male type of M. obtusangula is designated as lectotype. Brief notes are given on the habits of Ketumala thea Ghauri (Flatidae) and Ricania fenestrata (F.) (Ricaniidae), and the male genitalia of the latter species are figured.
Variation in Myzus persicae (Sulz.) (Hemiptera, Aphididae) reared on different host-plants
Authors: Lowe H. J. B.
Published: July 2009

Apterous adult Myzus persicae (Sulz.) of a glasshouse strain differed greatly in their ability to colonise sugar-beet according to the plant on which they and their forebears were cultured. Those from Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis) settled least readily on beet, whilst aphids from broad beans (Vicia faba) produced larger populations than those cultured on sugar-beet. When reared wholly on groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) young adults differed in their ability to colonise Chinese cabbage, sugar-beet and broad bean according to their parents' culture host species, and these differences were detected in a second generation reared wholly on groundsel. The responses of clones isolated from cultures maintained continuously on Chinese cabbage and broad bean were similar, showing that the effect was caused by the aphids' host-plant experience, and was not due to fixed, heritable characters of the sub-cultures. Some, but not all clones of M. persicae collected from the field showed enhanced colonising ability after culture on broad bean as compared with Chinese cabbage. This was apparent on sugar-beet and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). These effects of former hosts on the ability of M. persicae to colonise plants may be important both in work on resistance to aphids and in the epidemiology of aphid-borne diseases.
Two cactus-feeding mealybugs from Argentina (Homoptera, Coccoidea, Pseudococcidae)
Authors: Williams D. J.
Published: July 2009

Pedronia festerianaLizer y Trelles is found onCereus aethiops, Cleistocactus baumannii, Eriocereus bonplandiiandE. martiniiin Argentina. It severely distorts the growing tips and could possibly be used to control these weed cacti. The species is transferred toHypogeococcusand redescribed from material collected recently in Argentina.Pseudococcus eriocereiis described as new also from the roots ofEriocereus bonplandii.
Comparative studies on sibling species of the Anopheles gambiae Giles complex (Dipt., Culicidae). II. Ecology of species A and B in savanna around Kaduna, Nigeria, during transition from wet to dry season
Authors: White G. B. , Rosen P.
Published: July 2009

An intensive study was made of the ecology of species A and B of the Anopheles gambiae Giles complex at Kaduna, Nigeria, in October 1971. In collections comprising 383 larvae and 678 adult females from six villages, species A represented 82% of the larvae and 86, 89 and 91% respectively of the adult females caught by spray catches indoors, by biting catches outdoors and by exit traps fitted to windows. Larvae of species A and B occurred together in 42% of 57 breeding sites and showed no differential distribution among the various categories of site. Minor variations among the proportions of A and B females captured by different methods in the six villages showed no consistent contrasts. The only significant variation of the A/B ratio occurred at a temporary Fulani camp of cattle herdsmen, near Anguwun Maaza village, where an enhanced number of species B females were present indoors. At this Fulani camp a considerable number of both A and B females were feeding on cows outdoors and resting indoors during the day. Human blood indices of indoor-resting females were 88% for species A and 39% for species B at this camp, compared with 100% for both species at villages without cattle. Larval breeding places harboured an expectable range of insect predators. Predators of adult A. gambiae were not investigated although a predacious Emesine bug, Tinna elongata Villiers, was recorded in some huts. Numerous pathogen infections of larvae were observed, namely, Thelohania in 19%, Coelomomyces in 16%, unidentified gregarines in 7% and black-body virus in 3% of gambiae-positive breeding sites. Thelohania, Coelomomyces and gregarine infections were also encountered in adult females. Malaria sporozoite rates were 9·3% in species A and 5·5% in species B females. Some infections of stage III larvae of Wuchereria bancrofti were also seen in species A females.
Plant penetration by feeding aphids (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea): a review
Authors: Pollard D. G.
Published: July 2009

The factors responsible for determining the host-plants and feeding sites of aphids, and the various probing activities (the role of the labium, stylet insertion, surface saliva deposition, the behaviour of the aphid, virus transmission) are examined. There is a brief review of stylet structure and movement and the possible sensory nature of these organs, followed by a detailed review of the characteristics of aphid stylet paths in plant tissues. The penetration of epidermis and vascular tissues is treated separately while that within the intermediate tissues is covered in relation to leaves and stems, roots, trees, galls and excised tissue as well as in separate sections onAphis fabaeScopoli andMyzus persicae(Sulzer). Stylet destinations and behaviour in the sieve tubes are discussed together with general features such as rate and depth of penetration, guidance to the feeding site, effects of tissue hardness and stylet withdrawal. The ingestion rate of plant sap is reviewed and its constitution and importance examined together with the significance of artificial diets. The salivary secretions including sheaths and tracks, their functions and their role in the transference of material between aphid and host are dealt with. The nature of the physical and internal damage resulting from aphid feeding is briefly covered, and also some plant-insect interrelations. The aphid species whose stylets have been examined in plant tissue are listed.
The Stability of Rotenone in a Phenol-oil Solution
Authors: Robinson G. G.
Published: July 2009

It is known that, in solutions of some organic solvents such as pyridine, chloroform, ethylene dichloride and acetone, rotenone changes by oxidation to various derivatives, giving the solution a characteristic yellow colour (Jones & Haller, 1931). There is an accompanying loss in toxicity. Now that various intermediate solvents for rotenone in oils are being studied, it becomes of interest to know the stability of rotenone in these solutions.
The Control of Sleeping Sickness in the Raphia Pole Trade
Authors: Nash T. A. M.
Published: July 2009

In Northern Nigeria many of the streams are choked with the Palm, Raphia sudanica, which affords excellent conditions for Glossina tachinoides. The mid-ribs of the palm fronds provide long, straight, light poles which are invaluable for roofing in a country where small straight timber is non-existent.

In areas where the palms grow to a good height, there is an important local pole-cutting industry which results in the cutters coming into close contact with tsetse. A high incidence of sleeping sickness is often associated with villages engaged in this trade. The usual solution of clearing the stream-banks of vegetation is obviously undesirable in these cases, and the following method of control has therefore been devised.
The Sugar-cane Scale,Aulacaspis tegalensis, Zehnt
Authors: Moutia L. Andre
Published: July 2009

The sugar-cane scale,Aulacaspis tegalensis, Zehnt., has been known to exist in Mauritius since the year 1899, when de Charmoy recorded it for the first time in the Island.

The species was described by Zehntner in 1898 from Java on sugar-cane, since when little has been recorded of its geographical distribution. In 1921, Ferris recorded it from Formosa. In 1938, D. d'Emmerez de Charmoy, jr., called the attention of the planters of Reunion to the damage caused by this scale on sugarcane, and the author had suspected its presence there many years previously. In Java it was considered of minor importance by Zehntner in 1897. In 1911 Van Deventer drew attention to the damage it caused in Java, and in 1915 van der Goot recorded a serious infestation in the experimental cane fields of the Java Experimental Station. Apart from these records, it has not been reported from other sugar-cane growing countries.
A new injurious Mealy-bug from the Gold Coast
Authors: Laing F.
Published: July 2009

The following is a description of a new mealy-bug occurring on cacao in the Gold Coast, which is reported by the collector, Mr. H. E. Box, to be one of the Coccid vectors (Ferrisia virgata being another) of the “swollen-shoot” virus disease of cacao.
Studies on the water relations of adult locusts (orthoptera, acrididae). I. Respiration and the production of metabolic water
Authors: Loveridge J. P. , Bursell E.
Published: July 2009

Adult males ofLocusta migratoria migratorioides(R. & F.) had an oxygen consumption of 120 mm3g-1h-1at 15°C and 988 mm3g-1h-1at 37°C, although respiratory quotient in fed insects (0.83) did not alter over this temperature range. Starvation or starvation and desiccation reduced the respiratory quotient from 0.83 to 0.77 indicating a shift in metabolism from carbohydrates towards fats. It is shown that the amount of biologically useful energy produced (in the form of ATP) remains the same, and that a shift from carbohydrate to fat metabolism requires the depletion of a smaller weight of food reserve. The shift is counterproductive in terms of metabolic water production, as only 0.28 mg g-1h-1water is produced in starved or desiccated locusts compared with 0.35 mg g-1h-1in fed animals.
Variability in the selection of substrate by the leaf-cutting ants atta cephalotes (L.) and acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich) (Formicidae, Attini)
Authors: Littledyke M. , Cherrett J. M.
Published: July 2009

In laboratory colonies of Atta cephalotes (L.) and Acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich) pick-up responses to paper discs impregnated with arrestant and inhibitory solutions and feeding responses to measured amounts of these solutions were progressively increased by increasing the concentration of arrestants and decreasing the concentration of inhibitor; the inhibitor had a much greater effect on feeding than on pick-up. Both species picked up paper discs impregnated with arrestants and Acromyrmex readily incorporated these into the fungus garden, while Atta did this less readily. Foraging of arrestive paper discs presented regularly for several days was maintained by Acromyrmex but declined in Atta. Both species were less selective during periods of high foraging activity and during a shortage of suitable substrate. Incoming foragers did not seem to influence the preferences of the outgoing ants, but different colonies showed different preferences. Initially little preference was shown for new materials but on subsequent encounters widely fluctuating preferences emerged, which stabilised within two weeks. Over longer time periods further changes in preferences occurred. The ants' pick-up, cutting or feeding response to a particular material is determined by its chemical and physical nature, the amount of chemical information which the ants obtain, and the threshold of their response. This threshold is modified by such factors as the genetic composition of the colony, the previous quantitative and qualitative availability of the substrate, and the general level of foraging activity. Practical implications of these findings for toxic bait production are discussed.
A moveable stage to facilitate stereoscopic microscope work
Authors: Wilson R. S. , Strong L.
Published: July 2009

A description is given of a simple moveable platform which enables workers using stereoscopic microscopes to focus their work accurately without the need to remove their hands from the specimen or work area.
The Chondrilla gall midge, Cystiphora schmidti (Rübsaamen) (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae). II. biology and host specificity
Authors: Caresche L. A. , Wapshere A. J.
Published: July 2009

A Cecidomyiid gall midge, Cystiphora schmidti (Rübsaamen), lives on several related Chondrilla spp. occurring from Greece and eastern Europe to Iran. Its biology and host specificity were studied in the eastern Mediterranean region as part of the biological control programme against the weed C. juncea (Compositae, Cichoriaceae) in Australia. The adult female oviposits into the lower epidermis of the plant where small circular to ovoid raised galls are produced on the rosette, stem leaves and the stem. All the immature stages are completed inside the gall in 24–44 days, allowing 6–7 generations per year in southern Greece before low temperatures prevent development of overwintering larvae. The midge is heavily parasitised in Greece by two species of Eulophidae. Particularly in southern Greece, dense gall populations cover the leaves and stems of C. juncea, causing death of leaves, stunting and less seeding. Tests against 76 species of plants including some Cichoriaceae closely related to Chondrilla showed that Cystiphora schmidti is specific to the genus Chondrilla. Comparative tests with Cystiphora schmidti from Greece against four forms of Chondrilla juncea showed that the midge was adapted to its usual Greek host but was less closely adapted to a western Mediterranean form. The Greek strain of the midge readily attacked and thrived on the main Australian form of C. juncea.
A simple technique for observing and collecting the saliva of tsetse flies (Diptera, Glossinidae)
Authors: Youdeowei Anthony
Published: July 2009

Hungry tsetse flies (Glossina morsitans Westw.) are confined individually on the stretched wing membrane of a bat. Only 10–20 s after the tarsi touch the membrane, the flies probe and salivate, the main saliva flow following after penetration. The clear colourless saliva is easily collected onto a microscope slide.
The effects of a juvenile hormone analogue on laboratory colonies of pharaoh's ant, Monomorium pharaonis (L.) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
Authors: Edwards J. P.
Published: July 2009

Laboratory colonies of Monomorium pharaonis (L.) were given access only to food containing the juvenile hormone analogue isopropyl-11-methoxy-3, 7, 11-trimethyl-dodeca-2, 4-dienoate (Altosid). In contrast to control colonies all the brood died in 4–8 weeks and queens ceased to lay eggs at about this time. Comparison of ovaries dissected from treated and untreated queens showed the former to be atrophied and without developing oocytes. In treated colonies the worker caste became extinct between 9 and 20 weeks after treatment commenced but queens remained alive for more than 20 weeks. Treatments were lethal with exposure periods of one week only. Juvenile hormone analogues show real potential for the control of M. pharaonis.
Immigration of Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) and Scapanes australis grossepunctatus Sternb. (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae) into plantings of young coconut palms in New Britain
Authors: Bedford G. O.
Published: July 2009

In 1968–70 adults of Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) and Scapanes australis grossepunctatus Sternb. were counted and removed weekly from two one-acre plots in separate plantings of 3–5-year-old coconuts in the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain. For O. rhinoceros the immigration rate (average 3 adults/acre (60 palms) 4 weeks) showed no annual cycle or overall trend with time but was reduced by rain; the beetles occurred singly on the palms, but certain palms were more frequently attacked than would be expected by chance; the sex ratio (♂/♀) averaged 0·91, five out of nine females being mated and one having mature eggs. For S. a. grossepunctatus the immigration rate (average 4 adults / acre 4 weeks) decreased with time but was not affected by rain; females were usually accompanied by males, the female being deeper in the feeding hole, and 92% were mated, 15% with mature eggs; the high ♂/♀ sex ratio (3·69), differing from that in reared material, is attributed to females spending much time searching for ovi-position sites.
Quantitative aspects of reproduction and larval nutrition in Glossina morsitans morsitans westw. (diptera, glossinidae) fed in vitro
Authors: Langley P. A. , Pimley R. W.
Published: July 2009

A self-supporting colony of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. fed through Agar/Parafilm membranes upon haemolysed bovine blood for five days and upon the ears of living rabbits for one day each week (M5R1) is reported. This colony produced offspring intermediate in weight between those produced by adults fed exclusively upon living hosts (R6) and those fed exclusively through membranes (M6). Life span and fecundity of M5R1 adult females was close to that of R6 females and superior to that of M6 females whose reproductive performance was inadequate to maintain a colony. The different regimes did not affect feeding frequency, although adult nutrient intake was lower in M6 than in R6 females, and M5R1 females were intermediate. Larval growth as measured by dry weight increase and total nitrogen content at 24-h intervals throughout the second reproductive cycle showed that growth rates of all three instars were lower with M6 than with R6 feeding regimes, while the M5R1 regime produced an intermediate effect. There was a linear relationship between dry weight and total nitrogen content for all developmental stages from egg to fully grown third-instar larva, and this was unaltered by the feeding regime, suggesting that gross nutrient composition remained constant and was unaffected by the adult diet. Evidence is presented that a large critical blood-meal ingested on or about the fifth day of a nine-day interlarval period provides the bulk of nutrient for larval growth. Histological examination of the adult uterine glands showed that the greatest secretory activity was coincident with a waning of cell size and that nutrient secretion is a continuous process from the time of hatching of the first-instar larva until parturition. It is concluded that poor reproductive performance of adults maintained on in vitro feeding regimes is due mainly to quantitative aspects of feeding rather than qualitative deficiencies in the diet.
The extraction, distribution and sampling of the eggs of the sugar-cane froghopper, Aeneolamia varia saccharina (Dist.) (Homoptera, Cercopidae)
Authors: King A. B. S.
Published: July 2009

The eggs of Aeneolamia varia saccharina (Dist.) were separated from samples of cane-field soils by means of a rotary sieve, hydrogen peroxide treatment and flotation; this method gave 76% extraction. Absolute population estimates of eggs were obtained from samples of soil (one-eighth of a cane stool) scraped from between the stems of 10 or 25 sugar-cane stools per field, the 25 pooled to give five sample groups. Relative population estimates, which took less time, were obtained from 20-g scoops of soil from between the stems of 25 stools, giving one composite sample. Taylor's power law was used to show that eggs were strongly aggregated in the dry season but less so in the wet season. The numbers of samples or sample groups needed for given levels of error were calculated from the indices of aggregation. Absolute and relative estimates of egg density were generally well correlated. The quicker relative method, suitably replicated and standardised, was considered suitable for extensive and intensive sampling.
Biology and host specificity of the chondrilla root moth bradyrrhoa gilveolella (treitschke) (lepidoptera, phycitidae)
Authors: Caresche L. A. , Wapshere A. J.
Published: July 2009

The biology and ecology of Bradyrrhoa gilveolella (Treitschke), recently introduced into Australia as a possible biological control agent for the composite Chondrilla juncea, is described for Greece and compared with its known biology in southern Russia. The moth occurs from eastern Europe to southern Russia. In Greece it has two full and possibly a partial third generation each year. Its larvae live in cases below the soil surface and feed on the rootstocks of Chondrilla spp., destroying the thinnest plants. Heavy larval infestations on Chondrilla occur erratically in eastern Greece, being dependent on sites on sandy or very friable soils that are only occasionally disturbed; populations in hotter southern Greece appear to be less stable than those in the cooler northern regions. The larvae are heavily attacked by the fungus Beauveria bassiana as well as by Bracon sp., Copidosoma sp. and Syzeuctus sp. (Hymenoptera) and by the Tachinid Germaria graeca (Br. & Berg.); these cause a total larval and pupal mortality of up to 80%. Host specificity studies, during which the roots of various wild and cultivated composites and 62 cultivated plants were exposed to the moth larvae, showed that only Chondrilla and the closely related genus Taraxacum were attacked. A field survey showed that Taraxacum was not a host under natural conditions. All forms of C. juncea were equally readily attacked by B. gilveolella larvae.
Observations on two sibling species of gryon (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) parasitic on Triatominae (Hemiptera) in India
Authors: Sankaran T. , Nagaraja H.
Published: July 2009

In crossing experiments with Gryon triatomae Masner, reared from the eggs of Triatoma rubrofasciata (De Geer) from Singapore and India, and G. linshcostei Masner, from eggs of Linshcosteus sp. from India, only the females of G. linshcostei yielded hybrids (3.9%). G. linshcostei accepted both hosts offered separately but preferred Linshcosteus when the two were provided together; G. triatomae showed poor acceptance of Linshcosteus eggs under both sets of conditions. In view of their reproductive isolation and these and other observed differences in their behaviour, these two sibling species could be selectively introduced into other areas for biological control of Triatominae.