PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 21, NO. 4, APR., 1919 79 



apparently occurring naturally in two such widely separated 

 localities as southeastern Brazil and western Argentina, although 

 what seems to be a similar situation exists in the case of C. 

 novae si Hempel. 



The following species of this genus is described with some 

 hesitation, but it has not been possible to place the specimens even 

 approximately under any already described species from this 

 region, although it is quite possible that the species has already 

 been described. 



Ceroplastes deciduosus, 11. sp. 



(PL 4, fig. 6; pi. 7, fig. 2, A-G.) 



Adult Female. Occurring on the twigs of the host, strongly convex, sub- 

 hemispherical, length, covered with wax, about 5 mm., width about 4.25 

 mm., height 2.5 mm.; in the fully developed female covered with wax the 

 shape stout convex, with the whole surface irregularly nodulose, while the 

 wax plate divisions are wholly obscured ; in the immature forms (probably 

 adult females before the development of ovaries and the chitinization of 

 the derm) much less convex, rather flat pyramidal with the apex broadly 

 truncate, with a sort of stout horseshoe-shaped dorsal waxy ridge surrounding 

 the elongate oval central nucleus and with the borders of the poorly defined 

 lateral plates produced into stout wavy ridges and otherwise pitted and 

 ridged; normal color of the wax light golden yellow, but this varying to a 

 dark orange-red in some individuals; wax on the dried specimens semi-trans- 

 parent yellow within, hard and brittle, not very thick, and evidently very 

 easily deciduous, since of the four specimens of adult females available for 

 examination, three are completely denuded of wax and the fourth has a large 

 chunk missing from one side ; denuded female quite variable in color and usually 

 conspicuously mottled, the colors ranging from blood-red to pale yellow, 

 almost cream color; with a number of shallow pits dorsally among which 

 it is possible to distinguish a more or less defined submedian dorsal row on 

 each side running forward from anterior to the anal plates; surface except 

 for the pits smooth and shining, except along the margin in the region of the 

 spiracular grooves where it is punctured and wrinkled; the female boiled in 

 KOH giving off a dark reddish brown color which stains the liquid strongly; 

 the derm of the adult female still remaining yellow-brown with occasional 

 clear areas after boiling, with the caudal horn inconspicuous and only slightly 

 differentiated; in the immature- specimens the caudal horn is low, slightly 

 conical and more distinctly differentiated from the rest of the derm which 

 becomes colorless on boiling; antennae of adult female 6-segmented, the 

 measurements in microns as follows: 



1 With an almost complete pseudo-joint IUMI tin- apex. 



