28 SCIENCE BULLETIN, No. 18. 



Genus XXII. Lecankim, Burmeister. 



Handbook of Entomology, vol. ii, p. 69. 1853. 

 Signor^t, An7i. Soc. Ent. France, vol. iii, (5), p. 396. 1873. 

 Fernald, Canadian Entomologist, vol. 34, p. 177. 1902. 

 Newstead, Mon. British Coccidce, vol. ii, p. 75. 1903. 



This cosmopolitan genus is well represented in Australia by a number of 

 indigenous as well as many foreign species that have been accidentally intio- 

 duced with their food-plants. 



The adult females are naked, in a few species slightly floury or thinly 

 covered with a fine varnish; very variable in foim, from almost flat to oval, 

 convex, and almost hemispherical, but becoming quite hollow beneath after 

 egg-laying; retaining legs and antennse; skin covered with simple glands, 

 Reticulations, or many-sided cells. Propagating without any ovisac, the 

 whole body, as it shrivels up from beneath, foims a stout shell, protecting 

 the eggs or living larvae, after the death of the mother. So that in the adult 

 female Lecanium, the characteristics of the coccid, in the earlier stages of 

 her development, though still retained, are difficidt to examine. 



In the Canadian Entomologist (vol. 33, p. 57, 1901), Messrs. Cockerell and 

 Parrott published a paper dealing with this genus (" Table to separate the 

 genera and sub-genera of CoccidcB related to Lecanium,^') in which they have 

 subdivided the original genus out of existence. Mrs. Fernald, who doubts 

 the validity of the genus Lecanium, follows their nomenclature in her cata- 

 logue, and the name of Lecanium is eliminated from the list of genera, and 

 the supposed type is placed in the genus Coccus. 



I have, however, retained this genus in dealing with our species, and, from 

 an economic point of view, think it a very great pity that such a doubtful 

 question of nomenclature should have been proposed and followed by many 

 writers in the United States. I endorse Mr. Newstead's remarks when he 

 says : " Seeing that I have already referred to the genus as a whole under 

 the old name of Lecanium, it would, I think, be extremely unwise to adopt 

 any of the subdivisions in this work, especially as many of the characters are 

 extremely tri\dal and inadequate, and would tend rather to embarrass the 

 student than otherwise." 



Lecanium anthurii, Boisduval. 

 Chermes anthurii, Ent. Hort., p. 328. 1867. 

 Signoret Ann. Soc. Ent. France (4), vol. viii, p. 843. 1868. 

 Signoret (Ser. 5), vol. iii, p. 435. 1873. 

 Maskell, Trans. ^\ Zealand Institute, vol. xxv, p. 219. 1892. 



This species, originally described from Europe upon ho'thouse plants and 

 recorded from America, has been identified by Maskell from specimens from 

 Victoria infesting asparagus. 



General colour of adult female, brownish yellow, convex, roimded, but more 

 flattened than L. hemisphericum ; length, 2J mm. Derm, with a pattern 

 of oval marks, not conjoined, with a median clear space in the centre of each. 



983. Saissetia anthurii. Cat. Coccidse, p. 200. 



