litOO.] 



185 



Olossosoma Boltoni, Curt., common everywhere I looked for it. &. vernale, 



Pict., occurred at Plodda. 



Agapetus fuscipes, Curt., and comatus, Pict., fairly common all over the 

 district. 



1, Athole Q-ardens Terrace, 



Kelvinside, Glasgow : 

 May, 1900. 



NOTE ON THE ATTRACTIVE PROPERTIES OP CERTAIN LARVAL 



HEMIPTERA. 



BY E. ERNESr GREEN, P.E.S., Government Entomologist. 



Dr. Sharp, in his magnificent work on insects, refers (part ii, 

 p. 577) to the statement by Belt that certain species of MemhracidcB 

 were attended by ants for the sake of a sweet excretion ; but con- 

 siders it doubtful if the insects in question really belonged to that 

 group of Homoptera. It may, therefore, be of interest to record 

 some personal observations on Membracid larvre in Ceylon. I have 

 frequently watched the larvae of various species of Centrotus being 

 assiduously attended by ants. The larvae are gregarious, usually fre- 

 quenting the succulent shoots of plants, and have an extensile organ 

 at the extremity of the 

 body, from which the 

 coveted fluid is emitted. 

 This organ (see figure) is 

 distinctly 3-segmented. In 

 the species from which the 

 accompanying drawings 

 were made, the small ter- 



mmal segment was or a ^^^^*-'^>**^' 



crimson colour ; the penultimate segment black, with a broad white 

 median band ; and the basal segment (of the extensile part) white. 

 When the insect is undisturbed, this organ is withdrawn into the long 

 conical segment which apparently terminates the body, but is extruded 

 immediately upon application by the attendant ants. 



Though this inter-relation between ants and larval Homoptera is 

 found very generally throughout that suborder, it is not of such 

 frequent occurrence amongst the Heteroptera. I have, however, 

 recently observed the fact in a species of the Scuteilerid genus, 

 Coptosoma, a colony of which was being tended by a species of Cre- 

 mastogaster. I did not observe any extensile organ in this case. 



Royal Botanic G-ardens, 



Peradeniya, Ceylon : 

 June Qth, 1900. 



