ON THE PROGRESS IN THE STUDY OF THE COCCIDAE. 57 



On the progress in the study of the Coccidae. 



By K. NEWSTEAD, F.E.S., Hon. M.R.H.S. 



Important as the study of the Voccidac appears to-day, both from a 

 biological and economic standpoint, we find no systematic study was 

 given to the group until more than half of the nineteenth century had 

 passed away. To begin with the chief authorities prior to 1850, there 

 were Barensprung, Bouche, Fonscolomb, and Westwood, who described 

 between them about 33 species, most of which are considered valid to- 

 day, whilst Burmeister, Fabricius, Curtis, and some twenty others 

 also contributed to the study, but the writings of all these 

 men were of an intermittent character. They paid little or no 

 attention to the anatomy of the insects, their diagnoses being chiefly 

 drawn from external characters, which, however important for the 

 subdivision of the group, were of little value for specific purposes. 



In the year 1868 Dr. V. Signoret began his great Avork " Essai sur 

 les Cochenilles" in the Annalcs de la SnciHe de France, completing the 

 work eight years later (1876). His valuable monograph, which can 

 be had in separate book form, includes all the known Coccids of the 

 world, which amounted to 69 genera and 258 species. Signoret paid 

 great attention to the anatomy of the Coccids in his work, and had his 

 microscopical preparations been made on modern principles, it is 

 doubtful if so many of his species would have fallen into the long list 

 of synonyms. As the result of his labours, there was a steady increase 

 in the number of coccidologists ; and Avithin the last few years more 

 attention has been paid to the Coccids than to all the rest of the homop- 

 tera together. In 1880-82, Professor J. H. Comstock, of the Cornell 

 University, in the United States, issued his valuable ReporU on Scale 

 lni<ects, in which the author dealt chiefly with the auhiiumly Diasphiae, 

 describing many hitherto unknown males, and a number of new species. 

 He also showed us the importance of the study of the structural details 

 of the pygidia of the ? Dianpinae, illustrating his descriptions of them 

 with beautiful drawings, which were the first of their kind upon which 

 the student could rely for accuracy of detail. Subsequently Dr. L. 0. 

 Howard and the late Professor C. V. Kiley issued some important 

 papers in the volumes of Imect Life, and now the workers in the 

 United States are greater than those of any other country. Of these 

 Professor T. D. A. Cockerell ranks first, and is looked upon as one of the 

 greatest systematists of the day. Besides diagnosing nearly 150 species, 

 his Check Lista of the Coccidae are a monument to his untiring energy, 

 and of iminense help to the student. Professor Cockerell has also done 

 good work in Central America, as his list of the Coccids of that region 

 will show='\ The investigation of the group from that country has, 

 however, also received attention from other workers. 



New Zealand and Australia were worked by our late lamented 

 colleague, Mr. W. M. Maskell, who diagnosed about 200. new and 

 undescribed species from these countries, besides doing a vast amount of 

 work in connection with the more or less obscure species of the earlier 

 students. I believe his first contribution to our knowledge of the New 

 Zealand Coccids was published in the Transactions of the X.Z. Institate, in 

 1878. In March, 1887, the " State Forest and Agricultural Department " 

 published the Account of the Scale Insects of Xen- Zealand : this work 



* Biologia Cenlrali Americana, December. 1899. 

 February 15th, 1901. 



