THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 2 1 L 



THE MAPLE COTTONY PHENACOCCUS. 



BY GEO. B. KING, LAWRENCE, MASS. 



Phenacoccus acericola, n. sp. 



Since 1880, when the above-named species was found and described 

 as the European Pseudococcus aceris, Geoff. (Phenacoccus). by Miss 

 Emily A. Smith, it has until recently been supposed to have been that 

 species. 



The latter part of 1890, Prof. Cockerell wrote me that he believed 

 our species was distinct from that of Europe, and suggested that I should 

 describe it as new if upon further investigation no reason appeared to 

 the contrary. At the meeting of the Association of Economic Ento- 

 mologists of 1 89 1, at Denver, Colorado, he speaks of it as being without 

 a name. 



As I knew of no place in the vicinity where I live, I asked Dr. 

 George Dimmock, of Springfield, Mass., if he would kindly collect and 

 send me some specimens for study, which he did last season. The 

 following description is from the material sent, together with some 

 descriptive notes taken from Dr. Howard's excellent account given in 

 " Insect Life." The first account of the Maple Cottony Phenacoccus 

 appeared in the "North American Entomologist," April 18S0, by Miss 

 Emily A. Smith. The second was by Prof. Comstock in his work 

 published in the annual report of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for 

 18S1, and the third by Dr. Howard in " Insect Life," 1894. It seems 

 quite evident that Dr. Howard had some doubt about the identity of the 

 species, and calls attention to some of the characters which seemed to 

 differ from Signoret's account of the European Phenacoccus aceris, Geoff. 



Our American species when seen on the leaves appear as an 

 irregular oval cottony mass which adheres to anything touching it and 

 resembles very much the cottony ovisac of a Pulvinaria. The cottony 

 material is about 6 mm. in diameter and covers the insect and her eggs. 



Length of $ about 5 mm. long, 3 broad, plump, light yellow. 

 Boiled in caustic potash, they turn orange red. The internal juice 

 pressed out, the skin is colourless. The upper surface of the body is 

 more or less covered with spinnerets and these are more dense at the 

 posterior extremity. The margin of the body has several groups of short 

 spines. Antennae 9 jointed, measuring in //. : 



