Lounsbury (Prof. C. P.)
Naturalist who found in Madeira a tiny parasitic insect, named after him, that destroys a scale insect harmful to orange trees and other useful plants.
A naturalist who, in the gardens of the ‘Bela Vista’ hotel in Madeira, came across by chance a tiny insect about half a millimetre long, which was named Prospatella Lounsburyi or Aspidiotiphagus Lounsburyi. It destroys Chrysomphalus dictyospermi, a scale insect that lives on orange trees, palms, banana plants, incense trees, etc.
The little insect to which we refer was probably imported from America, where, however, it has not been found. It apparently reproduces by parthenogenesis and feeds on the larvae of Chrysomphalus, a scale insect that does considerable harm to our orange trees and other useful species.
In vol. XI of Redia (1916), p. 305, Professors Berlese and Paoli described Prospaltella, in a paper entitled Un endofago esotico efficace contra il Chrysomphalus dictyospermi, Morg. See Limpets and Paoli.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 01Place
Places mentioned · 02
Abroad
- America
Multiple countries. Probable origin of the insect, though not found there.
America is recorded as the native region of maize, the tomato and the cockscomb amaranth, and as the probable origin of an insect studied by Professor Lounsbury. It was the source of pine seed given to the Funchal council in 1807 and the destination of the teacher Alexandre Luís da Cunha in 1828.
- Hotel Bela Vista
Funchal. Hotel in whose gardens Lounsbury found the insect.
Hotel in whose gardens Lounsbury found the insect.
People
People mentioned · 02-
Naturalist who discovered in the Bela Vista hotel gardens the parasitic insect Prospaltella lounsburyi, named after him.
-
Professor who, with Paoli, described Prospaltella in Redia in 1916.