Maskell. — 0)1 Coccidae. 3S5 



Aspidiotus cladii, Maskell, 1890. 



I have lately received from Mr. A. Cooper, of Eichmond, 

 Natal, some pieces of aloe having on them several specimens 

 of an Asjyidiotus which is very clearly ^-1. cladii. I have never 

 before seen this insect from any place outside Australia, in 

 which country it seems to be widely spread, as I have had 

 specimens from nearly every portion of the continent. The 

 species must have been taken to South Africa (I suppose) in 

 some ship, perhaps on decorative plants for the saloon, or in 

 a Wardian case. Mr. Cooper tells me that the aloe in ques- 

 tion seems to be not seriously damaged ; aiid I have not heard 

 that A. cladii is injurious in Australia, although common 

 enough. But this is a good instance of the way in which 

 nowadays Coccids are being spread about the world ; and, 

 more than this, it is another nail in the coffin of that old 

 fancy that Coccids may be recognised to some extent by their 

 food-plants. Very probably A. cladii will be found ere long 

 in other countries and upon all sorts of plants. Few people, I 

 take It, will care in future to erect new species simply from 

 finding insects on plants not hitherto known to have been 

 attacked by them. 



Aspidiotus eucalypti, Mask., var. comatus, var. nov. Plate 

 XVIII., fig. 11. 



Puparium of female circular, greyish-white, slightly con- 

 vex ; as in the type. 



Puparium of male narrow, subelliptical, white, not cari- 

 nated ; as in the type. 



x\dult female of the general form, colour, and size of the 

 type, with a similar characteristic deep groove. The abdomen 

 ends in two conspicuous lobes, but these are not laterally 

 incised, and there is also at each side a small, sharply-tri- 

 angular lobe. The margin bears on each side ten rather long 

 slender hairs, which are arranged in pairs, not singly as in the 

 type. There are no groups of spinnerets. 



Hab. In Australia, on Eucalyptus viviinalis. Specimens 

 from Melbourne, sent by Mr. French. 



The non-incised lobes and the longer hairs in couples will 

 distinguish this variety. 



I find that in my original description of A. eucalypti I 

 omitted to mention that the puparia (and the same holds good 

 for the variety) are covered, when uninjured, by a very thin 

 scale formed of the minute bark-cells of the tree. In this 

 state the pellicles are very inconspicuous, and the whole has 

 a grey appearance. Frequently, however, this scale is rubbed 

 off, and then the pellicles are much more clearly visible, sur- 

 rounded by a ring of whitish secretion. 



A. articulatus, Morgan, 1889, comes near to .4. eucalypti 

 25 



