84 



[AprU, 



ACLEUDA JAPONICA, It. tip. 



Adult ? (fig. ()) covering all unprotected portions of her body with closely 

 felted white wax, and those portions, dorsal and ventral, in contact with the 



food-plant, with a thin white mealy wax ; this arrangement of secreted matter, and 

 the food-plant forming the ovisac, which must be considered incomplete. 



Form elongate, about three times longer than broad, slightly widest towai'ds 

 anal extremity. Antennae and legs absent. Eostrum placed about one-third of 

 the distance between the extremities. First pair of spiracles just above ros- 

 trum, second pair considerably below it and almost central. Anal cleft (fig. 7) 

 deep, apex forming more or less distinct angular processes, quite spine-like in some 

 individuals ; dermis on either side strongly chitinised, crenulated at the margins, 

 and just within the latter an irregular double series of circular spinnerets, divided 

 from each other by irregular wavy stria?. Anal ring (fig. 7) with 20 — 24 very long 

 flat hairs, so arranged at the base that they touch each other, and form in section 

 about two-thirds of a cylinder ; the ring itself is attached to a much larger hemis- 

 pherical organ which lies within a large cii'cular cavity. In some of the specimens 

 there are 4 — 6 curious flattened hairs with emarginate ends (fig. 8) proceeding 

 from the cleft, which appear to be attaclied to the hemispherical organ supporting 

 the anal ring. Dermis at margin with many acorn-shaped spines (fig. 9). 



Long., 4 — 8 mm. 



Mab. : beneath the leaf sheaths of Arundinaria japonica, under 

 glass, Broxbourne, Herts, on recently imported plants, causing the 

 sheaths to swell out at those parts which cover the insects. 



The extraordinary vitality of a female of this species is certainly 

 not the least remarkable feature it possessed. The first batch of 

 specimens reached me on January 27th, the second on February 15th ; 

 after selecting a series from them for study, the remainder were 

 placed in a cardboard box and set aside in a perfectly dry place until 

 the September following, when I found one of the females still alive, 

 and apparently looking none the worse for its lengthy fast of eight 

 months ! Certain of the MonojMebids have been known to survive 



