Maskell. — On Coccididae. 25 



Only two species of this genus have been hitherto reported 

 — E. corynephori, Sign., in Europe, and B. kptospemii, 5lask., 

 from Austraha. The present insect is so evidently a Dacty- 

 lopid, from the very inconspicuous anal tubercles and the 

 form of the antennge, that, although in outwai'd appearance it 

 may easily be mistaken for a Bhizococcus, it cannot be placed 

 in that genus. Moreover, the tibiae of the adult, being equal 

 to or longer than the tarsi, remove it from the AcanthococcidcB ; 

 and, as Signoret estabhshed the genus Bipersia to include 

 DactylopidcB having sis-jointed antennae, I have no hesitation 

 in ascribing to that genus this insect. 



Subdivision MOXOPHLEBIDJ£. 

 Genus Leachia, Signoret. 



Adult females naked, or producing not much cotton ; an- 

 tennae of eleven joints, each of which is more or less cylindrical, 

 the base not being smaller than the tip. 



Adult males presenting no lateral tassels on the abdominal 

 segments, but at the extremity tubereulai- lobes bearing 

 bunches of setae. 



Signoret distinguishes this genus from Gacrinia, Targioni. 

 by the form of the joints in the female antenna, which in 

 Leachia are cylindiical, and in Guerinia narrowed at the base. 

 Seeing that he also makes this character the only one sepa- 

 rating Guerinia fi-om Monophlcbus, and considering that it 

 seemed by no means to be of great importance, I united the 

 genus Guerinia to Monopldcbus in the spiopsisof genera given 

 in my " Scale-Insects of New Zealand," p. 90, and I made 

 Leachia sepai-ate from both these genera on the more im- 

 portant character of the absence of latei*al tassels in the male. 

 Whatever may be the right view as regards Guerinia, I have 

 no hesitation in maintaining the distinction between Leachia 

 and ifonopihlebus, especially since I have now had oppor- 

 tunities of studying both genera in the insect about to be 

 described and in Mono2:ihlehus craicfordi, mihi, from Austraha. 

 This last insect exhibits, in the male, undoubted abdominal 

 tassels ; the insect herein given has none. 



There is a point given by Signoret (Essai, p. 393) as a 

 character of Leachia : "Eyes facetted, sui-rounding a large 

 portion of the head, or cilmost pedunculated." It will be seen 

 that our New Zealand insect dififers from this in the peculiar 

 form of the eye, divided into eight simple segments, iind the 

 pah- forming a ring. But in this it differs also from all other 

 Coccids hitherto described, as far as -I know ; ar^d I do not 

 feel inchned to propose a new genus for it based only on 

 this character, until at least another species is found possess- 

 ing it. 



