NO. 1977. MONOGRAPH OF THE SIGNIPHORINJE—GIRAULT. 207 



8. SIGNIPHORA MEXICANA Ashmead. 



Signiphora mexicana Ashmead, 1900, pp. 409, 411. 

 The original description is as follows: 



Female. — Length, about 0.45 mm. Head, thorax, antennae, and legs, except tarsi, 

 brownish-yellow; abdomen seneous black; tarsi white; mesonotum margined with 

 yellow at sides; wings hyaline. 



Type.— Cat. No. 4776, U.S.N.M. 



Habitat. — Mexico: San Luis. 



Host. — -Rhynch.: Aspidiotus nerii Bouche . (Tyler To wnsend.) 



On account of its obscure coloration I first thought that this 

 species was synonymic with JlavopaTliata which it resembles, but the 

 following characteristics separate it from that species, aside from 

 coloration, which is more or less difficult to detect, in balsam speci- 

 mens especially. The narrow fore and posterior wings are replaced 

 in mexicana by broad ones; the posterior wmgs in mexicana are 

 twice the width of those in the type species and the same statement 

 is nearly true for the fore wings; the marginal ciliation is long and 

 holds the following relations: The longest of the fore wing are not 

 more than two-thirds as long as the fore wing's greatest width; the 

 longest of the caudal wings are somewhat longer than the greatest 

 width of those wings; thus, of the caudal wings especially, the mar- 

 ginal cilia are not very much longer than the greatest width of the 

 wing as in Jiavopalliata. The discal bristle is present. Otherwise 

 structurally, apparently like the type species; however, the sub- 

 marginal vein bears two bristles. Coloration of the type specimen 

 as described, excepting that the fore wing at least is not hyaline but 

 distinctly embrowned, very much as in Jiavopalliata, sometimes, as in 

 that species, mottled distad. The mesonotum is finely lined trans- 

 versely; the color of body is variable; thus, in the specimens noted 

 below, a few are present which had all of the thorax brown, while 

 most of them had all of the mesonotum as dark as the abdomen; in 

 one specimen nearly all of the abdomen v/as brown, suffused with 

 dusky. A large robust species with broad wings ; the antennal club 

 is more roughly longitudinally striated than usual. 



I have studied the following specimens: The single female type 

 specimen, remounted in balsam from a tag, labeled " SignipJwra 

 mexicana Ashm., female. Type No. 4776, U.S.N.M. 470°. = 13 

 Townsend. 12 Oct., '94. Par. on Asp. nerii, San Luis, Mex." The 

 head is missing. Also the following from the collections of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture: Seven females on a slide 

 with coquilletti and other coccid parasites, labeled " 1725. Aspidiotus 

 on common wild shrub on streams: Calif.; Cuautla, Morelos, Mex., 

 July 1, '97. Koebele." One male, seven females with a female 

 of Jlavella and Perissopterus mexicana Howard, on a single slide 

 labeled "1722. Aspidiotus on Ciruela, Cuautla, Morelos, Mex., July 



