Since the publication of my previous paper on the Ethiopian fruit-flies of the genus Dacus, I have received some additional species, the descriptions of which are given in the following pages, with the purpose of completing our knowledge of this very important genus of Diptera. For the material here illustrated I am indebted to Dr. Guy A. K. Marshall, Director of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, and to Dr. Alberto Mochi, of Ghinda, Erythraea: to whom I have to offer my best thanks.

Pendulinus devastans, sp. nov.

Above with the head, pronotum, scutellum and corium ochraceous, thickly darkly punctate; narrow margins to the pronotum and scutellum and the margins and venation to corium pale ochraceous and impunctate; membrane shining bronzy-brown; body beneath and legs pale ochraceous; head beneath and sternum thickly but not darkly punctate, a small shining black spot on each side near outer margins of posterior coxae; tibiae sometimes moderately roseate in hue; antennae reddish-ochraceous, apical joint either paler in hue, or testaceous with the bases and apices paler, basal joint moderately thickened and a little curved outwardly, its apical area somewhat incrassate, first and second joints almost subequal in length, second and third joints slender, second longer than third, fourth incrassate, subequal in length to third; head above centrally longitudinally incised; lateral pronotal angles subprominent; venation of corium robust.

In a previous paper, “ On the use of experimental plots when studying forest insects ” (Bull. Ent. Res. x, pt. 2, Jan. 1920), the author emphasised the necessity of using every effort in order to obtain accurate records of the degree of infestation and amount of injury of forest trees. During recent years the author has developed a method of recording and graphically illustrating the part played by different insects in killing a tree. This method having yielded very good results, he proposes here to bring it to the notice of other entomologists, especially those interested in forest insects.

The genus Dociostaurus, Fieb., which is synonymous with Stauronotus, Fisch., includes several species of locusts and grasshoppers injurious to agriculture in South-Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia and North Africa, the well known Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus, Thunb.) being one of the worst pests in Algeria, Tunisia, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Turkestan. The systematics of the species of this genus are in a very unsatisfactory state, and this, together with the tendency of the species to individual variability, is the cause of many mistakes in their identification on the part of economic entomologists. The object of this paper is, therefore, to establish a more or less natural system of the species enabling everyone to identify them with certainty.

[In 1919 work on the genus Oneilella was begun by the author and Mr. R. E. Turner. General agreement was reached as to the species represented in the material studied, and a table constructed before Mr. Turner's return to S. Africa. Subsequently all the additional material now dealt with was seen by Mr. Turner, and determined in collaboration.]

The genus Oneilella, Cam. 1904, created for the reception of Cryptus formosus, Brullé 1846, has up to the present remained monotypic. That it contained many more species was evident after an examination of the examples of this genus available in the British Museum collection and in various collections forwarded for identification to the Museum or received through the Imperial Bureau of Entomology. The material so gathered together (over 450 specimens) is, with one doubtful exception, African in source and dates from 1848 onwards. Its analysis has been a matter of some difficulty and has been undertaken chiefly because of the economic importance of some of the species. In the following pages an attempt has been made to summarise our present knowledge of the genus and its parasitism, and to describe such forms as appeared to be new.

A chalcidoid wasp, Torymus apiomyiae sp. n., is described from material reared in southern Yugoslavia. The host is Apiomyia bergenstammi (Wachtl), a gall midge galling young fruit-bearing twigs of pear trees, which is locally a serious pest.

Eurycoccus cuniculorum sp. n. and E. tamariscus sp. n., are described from Pakistan. They were collected on species of Tamarix during a survey of insect pests by the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control for possible natural enemies of Tamarix spp. that have become undesirable plants in the USA. The mealybugs live under the bark or in tunnels caused by other organisms and both species have unusual characters in the positions of the thoracic spiracles.

In October of last year the Acting Game Warden of Uganda, Mr. G. Maitland Warne, forwarded to one of us some newspaper cuttings that he had received from Dr. E. Warren, Director of the Natal Museum. These cuttings, from the Natal Mercury of 1st, 25th and 30th August, set forth an interesting correspondence about the tsetse-fly problem in Zululand, and embodied practical suggestions for control of the fly on a large scale. Some time before, Mr. Cooper, of Cooper's Dip fame, had visited us at Entebbe and discussed the possibility of carrying out experiments on the effect of feeding tsetse on animals regularly dipped in arsenical solutions, the question having been raised in South Africa whether dipping might not prove to be a practical means of controlling fly. At the time of Mr. Cooper's visit it was not possible to undertake the investigations desired, but the arrival of Mr. Warren's communication found us in a better position.

Afroryzophilus djibai is a new genus and species of weevil, which attacks rice in Senegal. Its biology, pest potential and relationships with other Erirhininae are discussed.

The following note records the Ceratopogoninae found in two collections of small insects made by Dr. J. F. Corson at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika Territory, East Africa, 1st to 20th September 1925. All the insects were taken between 5.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. on the windows of either the Bacteriological Laboratory or of a bungalow. We have pleasure in dedicating to the collector the single new species found.

The Tachinid fly parasite of Diatraea saccharalis, F. (sugar-cane moth borer), which forms the subject of the present paper, was described in 1916 by Dr. C. H. T. Townsend1 under the name Euzenilliopsis diatraeae. In 1924, Dr. J. M. Aldrich6 pointed out that Dr. Townsend's new genus was untenable and referred E. diatraeae to Lixophaga, Towns., of which Euzenilliopsis, Towns., is now considered a synonym. In certain of the earlier papers in which this fly is mentioned as a parasite of D. saccharalis, it is referred to as Tachinophyto (Hypostena) sp.

During November 1926, a few days were spent in making a rapid investigation of the insect pests of cotton occurring on the coast of Kenya Colony, between Mombasa and Mambrui, some eighty miles to the north.

The pink boll-worm, Platyedra gossypiella, Saund., was found to occur in every plot of cotton visited ; it was also noticed that a certain proportion of the worms were parasitised by a species of Braconid, which has been described above by Mr. D. S. Wilkinson under the name of Microbracon kirkpatricki.

A second visit was paid to the coast during the beginning of February 1927, to ascertain to what extent, if any, the pink boll-worm was controlled by this parasite, and to report on the possibilities of its introduction to other countries.

Owing to the short time available for this work, these notes are naturally very incomplete ; it is hoped however that they will be of some value should anyone be of the writer's opinion that it is well worth while attempting to introduce this parasite into other countries.

Head and thorax black; abdomen bright orange-red; tegulae red; antennae clear orange-red, the two apical club joints darker, the scape darker and varying to black; posterior legs, including the coxae, clear orange-red; anterior and intermediate coxae black, their femora and tibiae more or less brown or fuscous, their tarsi red.

The method of poisoning flies by the exposure of solutions of sodium arsenite and sugar is one that has been advocated by entomologists in Italy and in South Africa for some years, and yielded good results in Mesopotamia in 1916; for in hot climates, where flies come readily to sugar solutions, the use of an outdoor poison is specially valuable. But there are obvious disadvantages in using any arsenic solutions; for not only are they poisonous in themselves, but the disposal of residues is not easy, as the arsenic and sugar remain poisonous if thrown away, or if they dry on sand or soil. It would thus be useful to substitute for arsenic some compound less poisonous to man and less stable in a soluble form when thrown away.

Since a fairly extensive collection of the Braconid genus Spathius, largely comprised of bred series of new species, had lately been received for identification by the Imperial Institute of Entomology, and since there were various species in the British Museum awaiting description, it was considered opportune that I should attempt some sort of revision of this comparatively little worked but nevertheless quite interesting group : it is hoped to publish my results shortly. In the meanwhile, however, the following descriptions are presented since most of these names are required at an early date for inclusion in a paper on the biology of these parasites.

Simuliid flies are a well known feature of riverain land in the northern Sudan during months of low Nile. They have been discussed in detail by Lewis (1948). Two species occur, Simulium damnosum Theobald, and S. griseicolle Becker. The former is larger and darker in colour. The latter is smaller with characteristic grey shoulders and is usually much more numerous. S. damnosum bites humans readily, especially round the ankles. S. griseicolle is usually less effective in its attempts to bite humans but susceptible persons may be badly bitten. It commonly attacks the head and shoulders and may cause great irritation by invading the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Temporary protection for up to four hours can be obtained by rubbing the skin with di-methyl phthalate which acts as a repellent against both species.