HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



2 45 



necessitated the creation of a new genus, to which 

 M. Lichtenstein gave the appropriate name of Cera- 

 taphis — the Horned Aphis. 



Being informed of the novelty of the discovery by 

 M. Richter, I at once communicated with, and sent 

 examples to, our distinguished countryman, Mr. 

 Buckton. Acknowledging these, he writes, " I am 

 rather surprised that the very Coccide-form larvse of 

 Cerataphis should produce an imago so like a 

 Schizoneura." 



Cerataphis tetania is indigenous to the Isle of 

 Bourbon, or La Reunion, where it does serious 



soil as well as on the leaves. Seen under the micro- 

 scope they are certainly extremely beautiful objects. 

 The brown body is adorned with a most elegant 

 fringe, resembling a frill of white muslin, " which is 

 formed," says M. Signoret," by a secretion produced 

 from a series of little tubercles, which may be seen in 

 the circumference of the body."' Mr. F. Enock, so 

 well known for his skill in the preparation of objects 

 for the miscroscope without pressure, has furnished 

 me with some exquisite slides from a supply which 

 I sent him, and I can confidently recommend to all 

 microscopists this charming addition to their cabinets. 



Fig. 141. — One of the 

 young born from 

 Fig. 140, 1. It has 

 passed a moult, and 

 the wax disc has 

 commenced to grow. 



Fig. 142. — Inferior view of the head of 

 Fig. 140, 1, showing at g the wax 

 glands ; at h the small horns ; and 

 at a the antenna much magnified. 



Fig. 143- — Head, antenna, 

 and fore leg of the 

 imago. 



Fig. 144.— Mag- 

 nified fore leg, 

 showing the 

 tarsus and 



claws. 



Fig. 145. — The winged viviparous female. The lower wings are faintly drawn 

 in their probable position ; they were lost in the specimen from which 

 the drawing was made. 



Fig. 146 — 

 Cauda and 

 minute pa- 

 pillae of 

 the imago. 



-O^^ 



Fig. 147. — Part of the base of a palm- 

 leaf studded with numerous larvae of 

 Cerataphis latania. Natural size. 



injury to the useful palm-tree, Latariia borbonica. It 

 would be interesting to speculate as to the way in 

 which those infesting the leaves in Mr. Gatehouse's 

 hot-houses were introduced. These apterous forms 

 appear to be the Queen Aphis of Buckton, and 

 Pseudogyne fundatrix, or Foundress of Lichtenstein, 

 and the succeeding form, which closely resembles the 

 former, and having the power, according to Lichten- 

 stein, of reproduction, by a process somewhat akin 

 to gemmation, almost indefinitely. I must not omit 

 to mention that they are to be found thickly cluster- 

 ing on the base of the stems of the plants beneath the 



Although I searched very diligently, and had the 

 assistance of Mr. Gatehouse's gardener, I was not 

 successful in finding the winged form (known in 

 M. Lichtenstein's nomenclature as the Emigrant) in 

 May. Possibly this may have been from ignorance 

 of its habits, and I may be more fortunate with the 

 pupifer, which appears in October, although this is a 

 greater rarity even than the winged emigrant. In 

 a letter bearing date Sept. 4th, M. Richter tells me 

 that they never occur on the leaves as do the apterous 

 forms ; but only on the stem of the plant, hidden 

 under the leaf-stalk, which embraces the stem, 



