THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 173 



tinguishable usually by a narrower and more cylindrical form than 

 those of the females, when these latter are covered ; in the naked 

 species the males are generally in white waxy or cotton cocoons. 

 Examinations of the pupae in these coverings will generally show 

 more or less developed processes on the back and sides, which 

 are so evidently the rudiments of the future wings that the 

 presence of a male is not doubtful. In other respects the male 

 pupae are not always to be distinguished from the females. 



The full-grown male has been described in part i. of this paper 

 (Victorian Naturalist, vol. ix.. p. 142). It is, as Mr. Maskell says, 

 usually easy to procure specimens, provided the pupae are ob- 

 tained. If any of these in their coverings are put into pill boxes 

 with glass tops, or any place where light reaches them, they will 

 generally produce the full-grown insect — sometimes in a few days, 

 sometimes after several weeks. The time of year seems very 

 variable. Males emerge from the puparia indifferently (in New 

 Zealand) in summer or winter. (It would probably be the same 

 in Victoria. — C. F.) 



Group. — Diaspidin^e. 

 Genus. — Aspidiotus, Bouche. 

 Aspidiotus subrubescens, Maskell, sp. nov. 



Female puparium reddish-brown, sub-circular, flat and smooth : 

 the pellicles in the centre small, forming a small slightly elevated 

 boss, which is rather yellower than the rest. Diameter of 

 puparium variable ; specimens reach from ^ inch to T /% inch. 



Male puparium white, slightly elongated, not carinated. 

 Length, about -^ inch. 



Adult female of the usual peg-top form of the genus, the 

 terminal segment shrinking up at gestation ; colour, brown. 

 Abdomen ending in six rounded lobes, with a number of scaly 

 serrated hairs between them ; these hairs extend also a short way 

 along the margin, and where they end is another lobe, which is 

 denticulate and pointed. Spinneret groups four, the upper pair 

 with 16 to 18 orifices, the lower pair with 10 to 12. Many single 

 spinnerets. 



Adult male unknown. 



This scale was found by myself on leaves of Eucalyptus gunni, 

 which grows sparingly in certain parts of the district near 

 Mordialloc, on Port Phillip Bay. In some cases this scale is very 

 thick on both the upper and under side of the leaves, but beyond 

 turning the affected leaves partly yellow it does little harm, as the 

 saplings at least would appear to outgrow the effects altogether. 

 Mr. Maskell, from whose work the whole of the scientific des- 

 criptions here given have been taken, states that this species is 

 not far removed from Aspidiotus ficus, one of the '' Red Scales of 

 Florida, : ' so that we must be on the strict look-out for this insect, 

 and which may in all probability tackle our fruit trees. A number 



