CHAPTER XXIV 



TRIBE liEPIDOSAPHINI 



The Oyster-shell Scales 



The body of the adult female is always distinctly longer than broad 

 with the cephalic and caudal ends bluntly rounded. The lateral mar- 

 gins are parallel or subparallel usualy with distinct indentations mark- 

 ing the position of the sutures between the thoracic and abdominal seg- 

 ments. The lateral margins of the segments of the preabdomen are 

 never provided with bracteae either in the adult female or second 

 nymphal female. Lobes are usually present in the adult female, usually 

 three pairs, more or less than this number may be present. Plaltes are 

 rarely if ever absent, pectinae are rarely present and are then only fur- 

 capectinae. Incisurae are narrow and the space is usually filled with 

 plates. The median incisura is typically provided with plates, rarely 

 without. Densariae are never present and paraphyses only rarely. Alta- 

 ceratubae, are rarely, if ever absent, usually arranged in pairs, their 

 oraceratubae oval in outline, often twice as long as broad. Brevacera- 

 tubae are usually present, frequently numerous, sometimes arranged in 

 transverse rows. Genacerores are usually present, arranged in five, four, 

 or two groups. The mesogenacerores, when present, usually consist of 

 more than eight cerores. Scale of adult female is coriaceous or horny, 

 usually brownish or blackish in color, sometimes white or pale, quite 

 typical in form, usually much longer than broad, from two to five times, 

 frequently shaped like an oyster-shell, one margin convex and the other 

 concave with the surface transversely ridged, sometimes with sides 

 straight and subparallel. One end is much smaller than the other, small 

 end bearing two exuviae. The female sometimes transforms in a pupa- 

 rium and the pygidium of the adult female is provided with pseudolobes. 

 The scale of the male is similar in form to that of the female, elongate 

 in form, with a single exuvia at one end. 



The tribe Lepidosaphini, as recognized by Leonardi in 1898 , 

 contained four genera, one of which was divided into two sub- 

 genera. This number was increased to eight in his monograph 

 of the Mytilaspides published in 1903. In the following pages 

 twenty-eight genera are recognized. 



The scale of the adult female is quite constant in form, typi- 

 cally mussel-shaped or oyster-shell-shaped or pyriform in general 

 appearance. In certain species there is a departure from this 

 form, and the two sides or margins of the scale may be straight 

 and parallel or nearly so. The scales of the female are typically 



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