OF WASHINGTON. 297 



ON THALASSA MONTEZUM^ MULS. (FAMILY COCCI 

 NELLID^.) 



By H. G. HUBBARD. 



About 12 miles out of Wilcox, Ariz, (just where we begin to 

 ascend from the great plain of Sulphur Springs Valley to the 

 foot-hills of the Galiuro Mountains, Winchester range), the 

 mesquite bushes along the road were entirely covered with a huge 

 Lecaniid scale ( Toitmeyella mirabilis Cock.). This Coccid is 

 covered with large pores which give out such an abundance of 

 excretion that it hangs down in long drops and pendants from the 

 Coccids, a yellowish, turbid, viscid liquid, resembling glucose, 

 and drying up into a sort of candy. This honey-dew is, however, 



FIG. 18. Thalassa montezum<e. Left-side figure, 

 larva with waxy covering ; right-side 

 figure, larva with the covering dis 

 solved enlarged. (Original.) 



not very sweet, but has a very strong smell and a disagreeable 

 taste, which I have noticed in many seeds of exotic Acacias, par 

 ticularly those from Australia. 



Feeding upon this Coccid, or upon its young or upon the exu 

 dation, were numbers of larvae of a Coccinellid which resemble 

 marvelously a Dactylopius of the very largest size. The body is 

 very broadly oval, in fa'ct almost as broad as long, with promi 

 nent lateral tufis of white wax, and with a median ring of smaller 

 tufts; on the center of the disk are two or three isolated tufts, 

 more or less evanescent, and leaving a dark central space, which 

 is very characteristic. When touched, these larvaB emit large 

 drops of fetid, orange-colored exudation. 



I could find no imagos of this Coccinellid on my way out (May 

 2oth) to the Galiuro Mountains, but on my return (May 26th) I 

 inspected again the same mesquite bushes. I found then that 

 most of the Coccinellid larvae were just beginning to pupate, 

 which they do sometimes in clusters on the stems, in which case 

 they greatly resemble the Coccid ; but more frequently singly on 



