Maskell. — On CoccididtB. 15 



are very handsome, but so brittle that they scarcely bear any 

 handling. 



Subdivision LECANID^. 

 Genus Lecanium, Illiger. 

 Lecanium cassinis, sp. nov. Plate II., figs. 10-19. 



Adult female naked, red-brown in colour, semi-globular, 

 hollow beneath, attached to the plant by its- edges, which are 

 not recurved outwards ; diameter averaging about xV^- ^^' 

 tennae of eight joints, the third and fourth the longest, the 

 seventh the shortest ; a few longish hairs on the last joint. 

 Feet normal ; tarsus nearly as long as the tibia ; upper digi- 

 tules fine hairs, lower pair rather thick and dilated. Mentum 

 dimerous. Anogenital ring with numerous hairs ; lobes roundly 

 triangular, adjacent. Epidermis marked with great numbers 

 of irregularly-shaped semi-translucent cells. Margin bearing 

 slender spiny hairs. On the dorsum there are several minute 

 spines. At the spiracles are pairs of conical spines with a 

 group of simple circular spinneret-orifices at the base of each ; 

 and close to the abdominal cleft a great many similar orifices 

 are visible, but not in groups. On the dorsum, in most speci- 

 mens, may be made out obscurely one longitudinal and two 

 transverse carinations ; but the insect often appears smooth. 



Female of second stage naked, active, flattish, elliptical ; 

 colour red-brown ; length about gV^- Dorsal carinations 

 distinct and usually conspicuous. Antennte of six joints. 

 Marginal hairs as in the adult ; the spiracular spines are rather 

 long. 



Larva dull-yellow, of the normal elliptical flattish form, 

 naked, active ; length about ^\yin. Antennas of six joints. 

 Abdomhial cleft and lobes normal. 



Hab. In New Zealand, on Cassinia Icptophylla, \Yellingtou, 

 Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, and probably elsewhere. As Cassinia 

 is in many parts of this country a great nuisance and a useless 

 encumbrance, the occurrence on it of a Lecanid, often in great 

 numbers, may be considered as a satisfactory thing ; but, 

 although sometimes the plants over a large area are quite 

 blackened with the fungus induced by the " honeydew " of the 

 insect, I cannot find that any good results have followed from 

 its visitation. 



L. cassinicB is nearly allied to L. oUcb, Bernard, and I at one 

 time thought that it might be identical, so that I added Cassinia 

 to the list of food-plants of that species in my book on scale- 

 insects in 1887. I believe, however, that it must be separated : 

 it differs from L. olecB not only in colour (which is not of great 

 importance), but considerably in size, and principally in the 

 markings of the skin. These, in L. olecB, are regularly oval, or 

 round; in L. cassinia they are quite irregular, approaching in- 



