Maskell. — On Coccidae. 407 



Florida may, when seen in the hving state, also exhibit the 

 spots. The differences which I noted in the Australian variety 

 — the antennal joints of the adult and the arrangement of the 

 larval hairs — will still stand good, and I shall leave it as a 

 valid variety. 



In November, 1895, Mr. Froggatt sent me a number of 

 specimens of the adult male of this species. I believe I am 

 right in saying that, up to the present time, no male Icerya 

 has been reported except that of I. purchasi, Mask. It is 

 therefore interesting to record now that of I. rosa. 



But after a careful examination I am unable to detect any 

 characters of importance which may distinguish this male 

 from that of I. purchasi. Probably one naturally expects to 

 differentiate a new thing from what is already known ; more- 

 over, one would suppose that a male of one species should not 

 resemble entirely that of another. In all the Coccida, how- 

 ever, it is difficult to separate the males ; whether amongst 

 the Diaspids, or the Lecauids, or the Monophlebids, they are 

 all exceedingly alike. In SphcBrococcus I have been obliged to 

 postpone giving generic characters for the male precisely be- 

 cause that genus exhibits just what no other does — a marked 

 difference amongst the males. I gave in my " Scale-Insects 

 of New Zealand," 1887, plate ii., fig. 3, some type-forms indi- 

 cating a means of separating the males of one group from those 

 of another ; but there is nothing that I know of at present 

 which may serve in a similar way as between males of any 

 particular genus. Probably there is such a thing, if one could 

 discover it, because a male of, say, Aspidiotus nerii would not 

 couple with a female of Asjndiotus aurantU, or a male of 

 Ctenochiton viridis with a female of CtenocMton elaocarpi : 

 but I do not yet know what it is. 



However, I append a description of the male of I. rosce var, 

 australis, premising that the general appearance seemed to me 

 to be so near to that of I. purchasi that I wrote to Mr. Froggatt 

 asking him if he were quite sure as to the collection of his 

 specimens. In reply he assured me that he found both the 

 adult females and the male cocoons on the same plant, and 

 that the males which he had sent me had hatched out of these 

 same cocoons in his own boxes. He also sent me a further 

 supply of both females and cocoons together. 



The male larva before changing to the pupa is very dark 

 red, elliptical, sHghtly convex ; length about Jgin. The 

 antennae and feet are black. This larva is enclosed in a sac 

 of thin w^bite or slightly-yellowish wax, which is surrounded 

 by much white cotton, and many of these sacs or cocoons are 

 frequently massed together on a leaf. The antennas have six 

 joints, of which the first three are subequal, the next two 

 shorter and equal, the last about as long as the fourth and 



