6 Imms, Homopterous Insect Phrovinia {Flatd) vinrginella. 



in S. China, are solitary as a rule, though several in- 

 dividuals may sometimes be found on the same bush. On 

 the other hand, he remarks that an Australian species, 

 Neomelicharia furtiva, is gregarious, having the same 

 habit as Phrovinia of many individuals resting closely 

 together on the same twig or branch. 



In addition to Sat Tal, I have found Phromnia inargi- 

 nella near Ganai in British Garhwal, and it is also known 

 from the Central Provinces, Dehra Dun, Sikkim, the 

 Naga Hills, Cachar, Mussoorie, Margherita (Assam), 

 Tavoy, and Siam.'^ It also occurs plentifully in Ceylon, 

 and Mr. E. E, Green informs me that both forms are met 

 with in that island, but the green form predominates 

 there. He states that he has never seen the two forms 

 intermingled in one colony, though he would not be 

 prepared to state that it never happens. On the few 

 occasions that he has observed the buff form, the whole 

 colony has been of that colour. Phrovinia viarginella has 

 been confused in literature with the Indian wax insect 

 Ceroplastes ceriferiis, Sign. (Fam. Coccidae), which appears 

 to be comparatively rare, and has never been commercially 

 utilised, though it produces some amount of wax. It has 

 also been confused with the Chinese white wax insect 

 {Ericerus pe-la) by Staunton,'^ and in Westwood's edition 

 of Donovan's "Insects of China." Although this error 

 was pointed out by Hutton,^ it has been repeated by later 

 writers. It is further noteworthy that Ericerus, like 

 Ceroplastes, belongs to the family of the Coccidae and not 

 to the Fulgoridae. 



Bugnion and Popoff^ have investigated the wax 



^ E. C. Cotes, " White Insect Wax in India." Ind. Mus. Notes, vol. ii., 

 p. 97- 



'^ "Embassy to China." London 1797, vol. i., p. 353. 



^ lourn. Asiatic Soc, Bengal, 1848-55, vol. ii., p. 379. 



'•' Bull. Soc. Valid, des Sci. Nat., 1907, vol. Ixiii., pp. 549-63, pis. 

 xl.-xlvi. and four text-figs. 



