OF WASHINGTON. 71 



unwilling to introduce a new name in view r of the possibility 

 that one of the three specific names proposed by Signoret for 

 larval cases may be applicable. The synonymy of these Lerp 

 Psyllids will remain in an unsettled condition as long as the life- 

 history of each species is not properly known. Dobson's species 

 were collected near Hobart Town, Tasmania ; Signoret's larval 

 cases come from Brisbane, while Koebele's Australian Psyllidae 

 are unfortunately without precise locality. Among Koebele's 

 material there is a second species of Spondyliaspis, but repre 

 sented only by a few specimens. 



What appears to be an undescribed genus of Lerp Psyllids is 

 represented among Koebele's material by several species, one of 

 which has been bred by him from its larval case. The latter 

 evidently belongs to the third form of lerp described by Dobson, 

 and is apparently referred to in Intern. Journ. Microscopy, 

 1891, p. 87, as "exquisite examples of miniature basket work." 

 Dobson speaks of it as "surpassing in beauty and structural de 

 velopment the species already described. Its form is remarkable, 

 like to that of one valve of cockle shell." With its edge the 

 shell rests upon the surface of the leaf, but only the "hinge," or 

 posterior vertical side, is firmly attached thereto. In the speci 

 mens before me the hinge is the only solid part of the structure, 

 apparently wax-like in texture, of a yellowish- white color at the 

 base and reddish at the outer circumference. The rest of the 

 structure consists entirely of open basket work, the longitudinal 

 threads radiating from the hinge and symmetrically arching over 

 until they reach the surface of the leaf. In one of the specimens 

 I count 28 of these threads, which are yellowish white at their 

 base, where they are close together, and of reddish color on the 

 roof and anterior side of the shell. The transverse threads are 

 much finer than the longitudinal ones, of the same coloration as 

 the latter, closely approximated near the hinge and forming with 

 the longitudinal threads quadrate or transverse meshes. The 

 entire shell is unproportionally large for the size of the insect, 

 but I suppose that the larva or pupa inhabiting the same is cov 

 ered with a copious layer of woolly excretion which entirely fills 

 the case. The solid part of the hinge I take to represent the 

 first stage of the structure exuded by the larva and which, like a 

 scale, rests flat upon the leaf ; the reddish portion of the hinge, 

 the whitish and reddish portions of the threads probably repre 

 sent the successive stages in the construction of the lerp. 



The imagoes bred from this lerp are more gaily colored but 

 much less remarkable in structure than the species of Spondy 

 liaspis. In describing one of the species I gladly accept for it 

 the very appropriate generic name kindly proposed by Dr. Th. 

 N. Gill. 



