116 BRITISH APHIDES. 



science. He states that it was first erroneously de- 

 scribed by Leon Dufour in 1824 under the name of 

 Coccus zece maidis.^ But it is difficult to suppose that 

 the clever and accurate anatomist Dufour was misled 

 as to the characters of Coccus and Aphis. There is, 

 therefore, room to doubt the identity of these insects, 

 and the more so, that a maize Coccus exists. 



Low also states his belief that other authors have 

 described the insect under different names. Thus he 

 says Boyer de Fonscolombe,t in 1841, described it under 

 the name oi' AjyJiis radicum; and that Passerini, in 1856, 

 provisionally {pro parte) ranged it under his synonym of 

 Pemphigus Boyeri, but did not know of its habitat at 

 the roots of maize plants. Again, Low considers that 

 the following insects are identical with this maize 

 Pemphigus, Amyclccfuscifrons, Endeis rosea, and Endeis 

 hella of Koch. He gives as additional maize-feeders 

 Aphis zece, of Curtis, A. maidis, Fitch, Sipha maidis, 

 Pass., and A. maidis, Bonafrons. He says the last-named 

 insect more nearly approaches the genus Siphonophora. 

 Passerini adds to these Toxoptera graminum and Tychea 

 setasia as infesting Zea Mays. Low's insect fairly 

 agrees with the British specimens of P. fuscifrons 

 which I have seen, but he says the wings are, in repose, 

 carried pentwise, covering the body (dach-formig). 



Whilst I have no doubt that the above English insect 

 is the same as that described by Passerini as P. Boyeri 

 and synonymous with Amy cla fuscifrons , it appears to me 

 that, if Koch's name is to be changed at all, it ought 

 to revert to that given by Fonscolombe, viz. P. radicum; 

 that is, assuming that the last insect is identical with 

 the two former. I prefer leaving it as Koch described 

 it ; for Fonscolombe's insect might prove to be Forda. 



Passerini found Pemphigus fuscifrons feeding at the 

 roots of numerous kinds of graminese, Zea, Sorghum, 

 Panicum, Oryza, Eragrostis, Lolium, Coix, &c. 



* ' Ann des. Sci. Naturelles,' 1824, t. ii, p. 203. 

 t • Ann. des Sci. de France,' t. x, 195, 1841. 



