44 L February, 



ON A BRAZILIAN SPECIES OF ALEURODES FOUND IN ENGLAND. 

 BT J. W. DOUGLAS, F.E.S. 



Aleurodes FILICTUM. 

 Aleurodes JiUciicm, Goldi, Mittheil. schweiz. entom. Gesells., vii, 247 (1886). 



Pupa. Subdiaphanous, pale greenish, oval, the sides anteriorly very slightly 

 sinuous ; within the margin all round a parallel line, the intervening space crossed 

 by equidistant, straight lines ; a second parallel line within the first, often indistinct, 

 the space thus formed also crossed by lines closer and shorter than in the 

 first zone ; tlie two series forming a double row of subquadrangular meshes, which 

 Q-oldi terms " doppeltem Fransensaum ;" from this very faint, close lines proceed 

 convergently to the disc, where the body of the insect beneath sliows through ; the 

 margin, at times, with very small, close, obtuse dentation, and exterior to all the 

 usual delicate, white, waxy, band-like secretion is attached to the margin, and being 

 also adherent to the frond it is more or less broken off and left behind if the insect 

 be raised. On the under-side are five pairs of strong, setaceous hairs, viz., one pair 

 on the head, two on the sternum, and two on the abdomen posteriorly, all of them 

 very long and mostly projecting beyond the margin. Eyes red. Length, 5 mm. 



Imago ? . White ; abdomen more or less pale yellow, wings spotless ; antennae 

 densely farinose, of seven joints ; the 1st very small ; 2nd much longer, stout, sub- 

 clavate ; 3rd longest of all, slender, joined to the 2nd by a short petiole ; 4th to 7th 

 shorter, subcqual, filiform ; eyes large, black, with minute white dots (facets) in 

 rows, oval, but appearing long-reniforra ("bean-shaped," Groldi), by reason of a 

 granulated projection from tlie middle of the inner side. 



Expanse of wings, 2"5 mm. 



The £orep;oing agreos with Dr. Goldi's description (Z. c.) except as 

 regards the pupa in two small points, due doubtless to the stage of 

 development of the insect when under notice ; thus, the margin is less 

 sinuate, and the second intramarginal line is not so continuous as in 

 his figure. In the imago the antennae are stated to have six joints, 

 but there are really seven, which is the normal number in the genus, 

 as Signoret has shown (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, viii, 369, 1868) ; in 

 this case one of the articulations, which, on account of the white 

 powder, and the transverse strise when the antennae are mounted in a 

 transparent medium, are difficult to distinguish, appears to have been 

 overlooked. 



Of this distinct species, doubtless imported on ferns from a 

 tropical country, many examples of pupae and $ imago were obtained 

 by Mr. S. J. Mclntire, during September and October, in the tropical 

 fern-house in the Royal Gardens, Kew, on the under-side of the fronds 

 of ferns, chiefly Oleandra articulata and Pteris qundriolata. Dr. 

 Goldi found the species on the under-side of the fronds of Asj)lenium 

 cuneatiim and other Brazilian ferns in the Botanic Garden at Rio de 

 Janeiro, but of the perfect form only females, the reason in both cases 

 being, probably, that the males fly off with greater agility, as is the 

 habit in other species. 



153, Lewisham Road, S.E. : 

 October, 1890. 



