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The original Habitat and Hosts of three major Sugar-cane Pests of Tropical America (Diatraea, Castnia and Tomaspis)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J. G. Myers
Affiliation:
Imperial Institute of Entomology.

Extract

A study has been made of the small moth-borers (Diatraea), the giant mothborer (Castnia), and the froghopper (Tomaspis) of sugar-cane, in their respective primitive environments, primarily with a view to finding new parasites for them and secondarily to obtain light on their ecology under agricultural conditions.

The original hosts of Diatraea saccharalis are shown to be certain aquatic and semi-aquatic grasses growing at the edge of forest creeks in the Orinoco Delta and of rivers flowing through the Venezuelan llanos, and in lakes of the Greater Antilles.

In the llano habitat D. busckella and D. impersonatella were found under indubitably primitive conditions.

The original host of D. canella, another destructive cane species include two forms of Paspalum millegrana, growing on the Trinidad littoral.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1932

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