Evening star., 1954-05-14
Bright Flower Formed
By Tiny CIinging Bugs
West Africon Phenomenon
Is Described by Briton
By Thomos R. Henry

In West Africa there is a brilliantly
Towering bush." each of whose thou
Sand-petalled blossoms is a colony of
thousands of pink and white bugs.
This remarkable phenomenon has
just been reported by DR.. w. E. China
Of the British Museum.
The flowers are in the form of long
spikes which are pink at the top, green
beneath and with wax-colored base.
They usually are mistaken for natural
blossoms. But the instant one is
touched it vaniShes in a fluttering of
tiny wings. leaving only q bare stem
behind.
The bugs are fulgorids, race con-
fined to Africa but quite closely re-
lated to the leaf hopperS. several species
OF which are pests of ornamental
Shrubbery in the United States. The
nymph, the last stage of the insect be-,
fore becoming an adult, has waxlike
coat.
Theory of Process.
It now has been determined from OBJ
servationS in Nigeria, DR.. China reports
in the British Museums Annals Of Nat
ural History, that this is about what
happens:
First a large colony of these nymphs
establishes itself on a stem. The little
creatures huddle close together and lie
fiat, seemingly lifelesS, although at the
slightest touch they will rise up like
powder puff and scatter, only to re-
assemble again later"
After a few days begins the process
Of metamorphosiS into adult insects.
These are colored delicate green. They
proceed to climb slowly upward toward
the end of the branch. In about 20
days the color changes to pink. More
nymphS constantly are undergoing
metamorphoSiS and emerging as green
adults. They follow their older brothers
up the branch, still in compact mass.
Return After Foraging.
Thus, if nothing happens to disturb
the process, the pink-green blossom is
created by an unbroken chain between
the waxy nymphS and the oldest adults.
The insects fly away to forage but
always come back to the same branch
and arrange themselves in the same
formation.
The fulgorid blossoms" are found
only in deep shade in the depths Of
the jungle. These insects appear to
have an antipathy for sunlight and are
most active at night. Their worst en-
emies are ants which drop on the blos-
SONS from overhanging branches and
devour them.
The particular advantage of this
curious camouflage is not known, but
it is suspected that some Spikelike
blossom of similar shape, size and
coloring is distaSteful to birds and
other insects and literally millions Of
generations must have been necessary
to perfect the complicated instructive
cooperation of thousands of individ-
ualS.
Bred in Captivity.
A woman scientist in Nigeria told DR..
China of breeding the little leaf hop
pers in captivity where they retained
the same habit. The color change was
very slow for such Short-lived creatures.
They emerged from the nymph stage
pale green. In about 20 days this
changed gradually to a creamy pink
which slowly darkened to a deep pink.
There are many instances in en-
tomology of insects initiating flowers.
even to the fragrance, supposedly as a
ruse to deceive natural enemies or per-
haps to attract mates. But such imita-
tions, as among butterflies, are by in
dividuals.
There are many instances of great
colonies of lower animals-far beneath
the status of insects with their highly
developed nervous systems-imitating
plant life. Thus millions of little marine
worms, the bryozoa, form colonies on
the face of rocks which hardly can be
distinguished from moss, and coral
polyps build undersea thorn brambles.
Here, however, the phenomenon is re-
appearance on a far higher level Of
animal life.