THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 181 



A NEW LAC-INSECT FROM JAMAICA. 



BY T. D. A. COCKERELL, LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO. 



The lac-producing Coccidae are usually referred to the genus Carteria, 

 Signoret, but as this name is pre-occupied in Protozoa, Signoret (Bull. 

 Soc. Ent. Fr., 1886) substituted for it the term Tachardia. The known 

 species referable to this genus are five, namely : — 



1. Tachardia lacca (Kerr.) India, on 43 species of plants of 18 natural 

 orders (Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. India, II., 1889^.409-412); British 

 Guiana, on Erythroxylon ( Timehri, Dec. 1890, p. 308). 



2. Tachardia larrece (Comst.), Arizona, on Larrea. (Rep. U. S. Dept. 

 Agr., 1882). 



3. Tachardia mexicana (Comst.), Tampico, Mexico, on Mimosa. 

 (Rep. U. S. Dept. Agr., 1882). 



4. Tachardia melaleucce. (Maskell), Australia, on Afe/a/euca, &c. (Tr. 

 N. Z. Inst, 1891). 



5. Tachardia acacice (Maskell), Australia, on Acacia. (Tr. N. Z. 

 Inst., 1891). 



To these may now be added a sixth, as follows : — 



6. Tachardia gemmi/era,n. sp., Kingston, Jamaica, on Chrysobalanus 

 icaco, Linn. 



Some months ago, Mr. H. Vendryes directed my attention to a Coccid 

 which was damaging a Coco Plum in his garden, and kindly gave me 

 some twigs with many scales upon them. These were evidently referable 

 to a new Tachardia, which I call gemmi/era, on account of the ruby like 

 prominence on the dorsum of the scale. The female scales (if the cover- 

 ing of lac can properly be so called) are subglobular, shiny, crimson- 

 black, with a crimson ruby-like prominence on the centre of the back, 

 best seen in somewhat immature examples. There are also one or two 

 dorso-lateral prominences, more or less obscure. Sides with 4 or 5 keel- 

 like folds. There is a conspicuous subdorsal aperture. 



Length of scale, 5 mill. : diam., 5 mill. ; alt., about 4 mill. 



The scales are extremely hard, but will fracture if sufficiently pressed ; 

 sides of scale crimson by transmitted light. 



The lac when heated melts to a substance about the colour of guava 

 jelly, which turns crimson on the application of caustic soda: this 

 colour-change is most marked. 



The female is very broad oval, almost circular, posteriorly bluntly 

 angled. On breaking open a scale, it is seen not to be completely filled 



