68 Transactions. — Zoology. 



abnormal species of Tachardia, for the glands on these pro- 

 cesses make them strongly resemble "lac-tubes": but the 

 absence of any "tail" and of the characteristic "spine" of 

 that genus, the globular form, and the hairless anal ring seem 

 to place it clearly in Spharococciis. 



Sphaerococcus leptospermi, Maskell. N.Z. Trans., vol. 

 xxvi., 1893, p. 92. 



I find that in my description of this species no locality for 

 it is given. I rectify the omission now. My specimens were 

 sent by Mr. Froggatt on Lcptospernmm Icevigatum, from 

 Sydney. 



SphserococcTis elevans, sp. nov. Plate VII., figs. 5-8. 



Female insects burrowing under the bark of the plant, and 

 raising tire bark in a circular convex blister, the diameter of 

 which averages about Jin., and the upper surface seems to 

 consist simply of the bark without secretion. The inner 

 surface and the base of this " blister" are smooth, and seem 

 almost as if plastered with very thin secretion. Some speci- 

 mens of blisters reach Jin. in diameter. 



Female insect circular, yellowish in colour, lying on the 

 centre of the base of the blister : the dorsum is flattish, being 

 sometimes very slightly convex, sometimes very slightly con- 

 cave, with a small brownish central boss. Diameter of the 

 insect (which looks, indeed, much like a small, flat, yellow 

 cake) about ^jin. The rostrum, beneath, is subcentral. 

 Antennae almost obsolete, being reduced to very minute 

 tubercles at the cephalic extremity, each bearing a few short 

 fine hairs. Feet entirely absent. Men turn round, mono- 

 merous. Anal tubercles absent ; anal ring simple, hairless. 

 Epidermis apparently without spinneret-orifices. When the 

 insect has been treated with potash and mounted, the dorsal 

 boss is seen to contain a number of brown leaf-like segments 

 or divisions, radiating from the apex and forming a rather 

 elegant arrangement : these rays do not seem to actually 

 meet at the centre, but I have not been able to detect any 

 orifice on the boss of an untouched insect. 



Female of the second stage not certainly observed ; but in 

 three of the very smallest blisters I have found minute 

 globular insects, with a diameter not exceeding ^-i^in., in 

 which the only organs I could detect were very short thick 

 feet, of which the tibia and tarsus were equal in length, and 

 the claw very small. The colour at this stage was reddish- 

 yellow. 



Larva and male unknown. All the blisters which I re- 

 ceived contained numbers of white eggs, and these seemed 



