On the Oviposition of Tomaspis saccharina, Dist. (Rhynch., Cercop.), an Insect Pest of Sugar-cane in Trinidad

Abstract

Tomaspis saccharina, Dist., is a Cercopid bug which infests the cane-fields of Trinidad in vast numbers during the wet months of the year. Corresponding with the successive generations, there are three, and sometimes four nights or broods of adults, each of which causes severe damage to the cane. This damage, or “ froghopper blight,” as it is locally called, is a result of the feeding activities of the adult on the foliage, and is characterised by a progressive discoloration of the leaves, leading to death of the affected leaf and, in severe cases, to the death of the cane. In either event, growth of the plant is more or less severely checked and the adverse effect on yield is usually of a very significant nature.