42 SCIENCE BULLETIN, No. 18. 



Genus XXIII. Cryptes, Crawford. 



Maskell, Trans. N. Zealand Institute, vol. xxiv, p. 21. 1891. 

 Cockerell, Canadian EntorAologist, vol. xx? iii, p. 58. 1901. 



This generic name was given to this species by Mr. Crawford, of Adelaide, 

 when sending the types to Maskell for description. The latter, however, 

 dropped the name of Cryptes, and described it in the genus Lecani'um, to 

 which it is closely allied. Cockerell, when defining his subdivision of the 

 genus Lecanium, defined this genus on the male characters, " Male scale 

 felted, sub-cylindrical, with a glassy operculum." Eemaikable changes 

 take place in form and colour of the female during the difieient stages of her 

 development, from the biscuit pale-brown colour and shoe-like foim to 

 the blue coloured berry foim, and final thick-set, dark blown, pear-shaped 

 form. If the three distinct foims had been sent without any infoimation 

 as to their affinities to some of our earlier authorities on coccids, I am suie 

 they would have created three species. 



Cryptes baccatum, Maskell (Figs. 30 and 31). 



Lecanium baccatum. Trans. N. Zealand Institute, vol. xxiv, p. 20, pi. ii, fig. 8-16 



1891; vol. XXV, p. 217, 1892; vol. xxix, p. 311, 1899. 

 Lecanium baccatum, Fuller, Trans. Ent. Soc. London, p. 458. 1899. 



This fine coccid has a very wide range over AustraUa on different species 

 of Acacias, having been found at Adelaide (South AustraUa), on Acacia 

 armata, Crawford ; Sydney (New South Wales), on Acacia linearis, A. longi- 

 Jolia, A. decurrens, and A. pendula, Froggatt; Western Australia, on Acacia 

 melanoxylon, and A. calamifolia, Fuller. The male and female coccids 

 thickly encrust the infected twigs and branches of these wattles. 



Adult female brownish yellow, smooth, shining, broadly rounded to the 

 summit and contracted almost to a stalk with irregular rounded apertiue, 

 the roughened corrugated edges attached to the bark giving a general thick- 

 set pear-shaped foim. Often very irregular, both in size and foim, when 

 thickly massed together on the twigs, as they generally are upon the acacia. 

 Average width, ^ inch, and nearly as high. At this stage simply a thickened 

 leathery or horny bag, with the antennae, legs, and rostium aboited on to 

 the inner surface. 



The immature female coccids are usually of a shiny slate-blue tint, and 

 are more elongate, oval or berry-shaped in form, with the opening on the 

 hind portion of the back distinct and often when observed, particularly in 

 the early morning, covered with a globule of clear honey-dew. In the earlier 



