430 FRED. V. THEOBALD. 



Antennae of five segments, as long as or a little longer than head and pronotiim ; 

 1st segment wider and longer than 2nd ; 3rd as long as to a little longer than 5th ; 

 4th small, from one-fourth to a little more than the length of the 3rd ; 5th with basal 

 area as long as to a little longer than the 4th ; four curved hairs on basal segment ; 

 two on 2nd ; three to four on 3rd ; one on 4th near apex, opposite the sen- 

 sorium ; two on apex of basal area of the 5th ; one primary and several secondary 

 sensoria at junction of basal area and flagellum ; segments 3-5 imbricated, the last 

 markedly so ; at apex three small hairs. The more or less rounded head bears six 

 long thick hairs in front and several shorter ones passing on to the vertex. Eyes 

 large, with prominent quadrate ocular processes. Proboscis rather short and thick,, 

 reaching to the second coxae ; apical and penultimate segments about equal in 

 length, both dusky. Integument finely spinulose ; a few short hairs on body, longest 

 towards the apex. Apical segment rounded, with four long hairs and some short 

 ones, completely covering the cauda. Cornicles round, on slightly elevated cones, 

 which are surrounded b}^ a small dark area. Cauda short and broad, convex at 

 apex, finely spinose, with two long apical hairs ; dark, especially apically. Anal plate 

 broader than cauda, sides straight but divergent. Legs rather short and thick, 

 a few hairs on femora ; more on tibiae ; pro- and mesothoracic pairs widely separate. 



Length, 1 •9-2-2 mm. 



Locality. Littlestone, Kent (vii.1921). 



Food-plants. — -Marram grass {Psanima arenaria) and meadow foxtail grass 

 {Alopecurus pratensis). 



Found first by Captain A. Duffield, M.C., in great abundance on the marram 

 grass growing on the sandhills near Littlestone. It lives in the blossom heads,, 

 usually deeply hidden in the heads, being of much the same colour as the ripening 

 blossoms and consequently not easily detected unless in large numbers. Whilst 

 visiting Littlestone in September I could find no trace of living aphides, but all the 

 ripe grass was smothered with their exuviae and black soot fungus. Mounted exuviae 

 from meadow foxtail grass on the marsh near by show that it had also served as a 

 food-plant. This Aphid produces much honey-dew, which attracted various insects. 

 It was preyed upon by countless ladybird beetles, the chief being Adalia bipnnctata, 

 and also by many small Syrphid larvae. These, liowever, had not prevented great 

 numbers of alatae from appearing, for I found large quantities of the cast nymph skins.. 

 The grass seed seemed to have been quite ruined by the swarms of this plant-louse. 



