24 



[January, 1916. 



or approximately a quarter of au inch, and its glistening white 

 nacreous covering, in strong contrast with the rich green of the blades 

 of grass upon which it rests, renders it a comparatively conspicuous 

 object. The covering scale — as may be seen from the accompanying 

 illustration (fig. 1)— is divided into distinct polygonal plates, like the 

 cai-apace of a tortoise. A similar structure is noticeable in the 

 Australasian geiuis Inglisla, and I was at first inclined to refer my 

 discovery to that genus. There are, however, certain minor characters 



a 



Fig. 1. 



of the insect itself that, differentiate it from typical members of that 

 genus. I am now of opinion that it is more correctly referable to 

 Siguoret's genus Fairmairia, erected for the single European species — 

 F. bipartita. The name Fairmairia being pre-occupied by that of a 

 genus of Biptera, L. Cockerell (Can. Ent., XXXI, p. 332, 1899) has 

 suggested the name Parafairmairia which has now been adopted for 

 the species described by Signoret. I accordingly propose for my new 

 species the name of 



Parafairmairia gracilis, nov. 



Adult female completely covered above with a narrow, elongate, Avhite 

 glassy test, which is divided up into dorsal and lateral series of polygonal 

 plates (fig. 1-a). The lateral plates form a low, almost vertical, wall enclosing 

 the sides of the insect. The dorsal plates slightly overlap the laterals and rise 

 from each side to a sharp median ridge (vide fig. 1-b, which gives a diagram- 

 matic view of a transverse section through the highest part of the test and 

 insect). The anterior plate is pointed in front and its sides are curved sharply 

 downwards, entirely covering the cephalic area of the insect. A few raised 

 lines radiate from the apex to the sides and base. The following two dorsal 

 plates are by far the largest of the series, covering the greater part of the body. 

 They are sub-conical or pyramidal in form, with strongly compressed sides, each 

 with a slig-ht central raised prominence, from which many rather indefinite 



