UPON SCALE-INSECTS. 49 



does not appear so readily as in the case of Nectria 

 coccidophtliora. 



The forms of Microcera so far found on scale-insects have 

 not all been referred to the original species, M. coccophila. 

 Saccardo* gives the characters of six species, two of 

 which, M. coccophila zwd, M. rectispora, are described as sit- 

 uated on coccids. 31. rectispora was collected in Queens- 

 land on the orange, and named so by Cook and Massee. 



Recently McAlpine| has diagnosed two new species, 31. 



tasmaniensis and M. mytilaspis, from examples discovered 



in Tasmania and Victoria respectively. The former was 



found by Lea in 1901 on Aspidiotus, sp., on Eucalyptus bark ; 



it differs from M. coccophila in colour, and in its conidia 



being only 3-septate. The latter was on 31ytilaspis, sp., on 



Hymenantheradentata : it is bigger and has multi septate 



conidia. 



Ceylon Sfiecimens of Microcera. 



The fungus first appears from below the scale at several 



points as small red protuberances. These enlarge and join to 



form a thick coral red stroma around, and to some extent 



over the scale. As a rule the stroma does not cover the 



whole exterior surface of the scale, the central part being 



left bare. The conidial fructifications (sporodochia) arise 



from slight depressions in the peripheral part of the stroma; 



they often radiate outwards in star-fashion. Each in its 



young state is enveloped in a loose sheath of whitish parallel 



fibres (hyphse). On maturity the fibres of the sheath break 



away from one another at the top, and the bright red 



apex of the sporodochium shows itself. The broken sheath 



persists, partially covering the conical or cushion-shaped 



sporodochium. The individual hyphse of the sheath have a 



thickness of 1/*, and are joined to one another here and 



there by very short lateral ladder-like connections, as in 



the closely adherent sheath of Fusarium, already described 



under Nectria. 



* Saccardo, S.F., vol. X., p. 7:51. 



t McAlpine. Journ. Agric. Victoria : XL. part 7. 1904. 



9(1)00 <J) 



