Notes on two West African Hemiptera injurious to Cocoa

Abstract

The insect of which drawings are given here (PI. VIII, figs. 1 & 2) is one belonging to the genus Helopeltis (family Capsidæ), which contains a large number of extremely injurious species. The most important of these at present known is H. theivora, Westw., the “Tea Mosquito Blight” of India, which has rendered very large areas of tea-plantations in Northern India unproductive owing to the puncturing of the immature leaves. H. antonii, Sign., has been the cause of similar destruction to tea, cinchona and cocoa in Ceylon, but in the latter plant the puncturings are upon the pod and exactly similar to those produced, by the species now figured. Dr. Trimen referred to these in ‘Nature,” xxx. p. 634, 1884.