104 [September, 



tiifts of Polytrichuin sp., on the top of Foel F.adian, at an altitude of 1600 ft. 

 Some of the examples were enveloped in ovisacs containing rosy-pink egps. 

 and one female was partly surrounded by a disintegrated mass of glassy plates. 

 The female from the latter, when treated witli KOH, had the major portion of 

 the effete skin of the 2nd stage female attached to the anterior part of its body : 

 this, on examination, proved to be specifically identical with the Coccid which 

 I described as Lecanopsis brevicomis in 1896, I have now broken up the cyst 

 which I got — with one other— from Suettisliam (Norfolk), and upon which I 

 based my description, and find that it contains an adult iemale of Lecanopsis 

 formicarum and the effete skin of the second stage female which is clearly 

 referable t© L. brevicomis. The latter must tlierefore sink as a synonym of 

 formicarum. But much the more interesting point is that the 2nd stage 

 female becomes encysted (as in Margarudes) and that the adult becomes active 

 after escaping from the cyst, and linally eonstriicts an ovisac." 



Something still remains to be done to elucidate the development of 

 this species. As noted by me in an earlier article in this Magazine (3rd 

 Ser., vol. i, June 1915, p. 182), I have found L. brevicomis in some 

 abundance in the neighbourliood of Camberle}', and have noted three 

 distinct stages of the insect. The earliest, which I regarded as advanced 

 larvae, were characterized by slender G-jointed antennae, a pair of longish 

 caudal setae, and four isolated groups of ceriferous pores on each side. 

 What I took to be the succeeding stage differs from the supposed adult 

 in the possession of well-developed limbs and antennae (the latter with 7 

 joints) and a single isolated group of pores on each side of the prothoracic 

 segment. The third stage answers accurately to Newstead's description 

 of brevicomis, having greatly reduced limbs and antennae, and a con- 

 tinuous series of pores extending along each side of the body. 



This question of the identity of brevicomis and formicamim has 

 led me to review my series of British species of Lecanopsis, with the 

 result of a further reduction of our species by the suppression of my 

 L. butleri, which I am now convinced is inseparable from formicarum. 

 A comparison of my description of bxiUeri with Newstead's description 

 oi formicarum vex&AXs a few apparent discrepancies. I have given 5 to 7 

 as the number of antennal joints in butleri, while Newstead attributes 

 8 joints to the antennae of formicarum. But I have a specimen of 

 formicarum {\\\y identification of which has been corroborated by New- 

 stead himself), from Guernsey, in which one antenna has 5 and the other 

 6 joints only ; and there is the aforementioned example from Folkestone, 

 with 7-jointed antennae. The antennae of this species would appear to 

 be undergoing a process of reduction, with a consequent variability in 

 the number of joints. Then, Newstead makes no mention of a con- 

 spicuous medio-longitudiual series of large pores on the dorsum, but 1 

 find them to be present in my examples frcm both Guernsey and 



