THE WHITE SCALE. 



35 



THE WHITE SCALE. 



{Aspidiotus nerii Boiich6.) 

 [Fig. 7.J 



Although tliis species has not yet beeu reported from orange groves 

 in Florida, it is known to occur upon various plants, within the limits 

 of the State. Professor Comstock, in the Report of the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture for 1880, p. 301, gives the following account of its appear- 

 ance and habits : 



'''Scale of the Female — The scale of the female is flat, whitish, or light 

 gray in color, and with the exuviae central or nearly so (Fig. Ic). Exu- 

 viae dull orange yellow; the first skin usually showing the segmenta- 

 tion distinctly, the second skin more or less covered with secretion, often 

 appearing only as an orange- colored circle surrounding the first skin. 

 Ventral scale a mere film applied to bark of plant. Diameter of fully- 

 formed scale, 2'"'" (.08 inch). * * * 



'"'■Eggs. — The eggs are very light yellow in color. 



'•'■Scale of Male. — The scale of the male is slightly elongated, with the 

 larval skin nearly c(Mitral ; it is snowy white with the larval skin light 

 yellow; longest diameter, 1""" (.04 inch) (Fig. 7 h). 



'■'•Male. — The adult male is yellow, mottled with reddish brown, central 

 part of thoracic band reddish. Other characters represented in Fig. la. 



.'■'■ Hahitat. — This is a very common European species which infests 

 many different plants, and it is spread throughout our country from the 



'i'lfxM 



F\G. 7.— A itpidiotu3 nerii Douch6. 7, Rcali'3 on leavfs of ncacia, natural alze; a, adult male, en- 

 la igcd ; 6, ecalo oluiaK', inl.iiged; c, scolo of fomalr, culaij^eil. (After Comstock.) 



Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. 

 I have found it more abundant on acacias in California than elsewhere, 



