PSYCHE. 



225 



THREE NEW ALEURODIDAE FROM MEXICO. 



BY T. D. A. COCKERELL, N. M. AGR. EXP. STA. 



The following three species, which are 

 more than usually interesting, were col- 

 lected by Prof. C. H. T. Townsend, and sent 

 to me by Dr. L. O. Howard. In the genus 

 Aleurodes, the best characters are derived 

 from the pupa; and, in fact, the adults of 

 very many species are still unknown. In 

 AJeurodicus, on the other hand, we get our 

 specific characters from the imago, and the 

 pupae are all much alike. That this sort of 

 difference should obtain between two so 

 nearly allied genera, is a matter of much 

 interest. 



Aleurodicus iridescetis, n. sp. — Agrees with 

 A. asaritmis in having some blackish colora- 

 tion at the forking of the wing-vein, but 

 differs in having the body and legs a deep 

 chrome yellow, and the eyes not divided. 

 Length of anterior wing 2 mm. ; wings no- 

 ticeably iridescent ; a blackish line on the 

 costa. Pupae along the midrib of the leaf, 

 as in Aleurodicus pulvinaia (Maskell, as 

 Aleurodes), surrounded by abundant cottony 

 secretion. Pupae dark grey or plumbeous, 

 varying to brownish, structural characters 

 as usual in the genus. Vasiform orifice 

 semicircular; operculum very broad, broadly 

 truncate at end. Four large round orifices 

 on each side of the abdomen, some distance 

 from the margin, but not nearly so large as 

 Maskell figures for puivinata j four very 

 much smaller orifices in the caudal region, 

 laterad of the vasiform orifice, the two hind- 

 most nearer to each other than are the 

 anterior ones ; two of the large orifices at 

 the cephalic end, and also four small ones 

 as \\\ pulvinata, but they are very minute. 



Hab.- — Ocean beach between El Faro and 

 San Pedro, Tabasco, Mexico, June 12, 1897, 

 on "Jicaco,"a bush with large leaves grow- 

 ing on the sand fiats. (Townsend.) Div. 

 Ent. 7824. 



Aleurodes mirabilis, n. sp. — Pupa (late 

 larva.?) 15 mm. long, after boiling transparent 

 and colorless, except some brown stains in 

 the thoracic region. Mouth-parts distinct 

 and well-formed; rostral loop short; legs 

 present, very stout, with small hooked claws. 

 Form oblong, quite elongate, with a border 

 densely dotted with round glands; anteriorly 

 this border is very narrow, and at the extreme 

 hind end it ceases, but all along the sides it 

 is extremely broad. The cephalic portion of 

 the insect, the hind end, and the lateral mar- 

 gins within the border, are also densely dotted 

 with glands. Abdomen distinctly segmented, 

 but the segmentation does not extend to the 

 border. On each side of the abdomen are 

 four curious large glandular processes, of the 

 type of those in A. holmesii Mask. Lingua 

 trowel-shaped, extending considerably beyond 

 the broad operculum ; at each side of the 

 base of the lingua is an angular prominence. 

 The general type of these parts is that of A. 

 fulvinata Mask., but while the lingua is 

 equally long, it is in our insect gently bowed 

 out at the sides; and the two bristles at the 

 end of the lingua in mirabilis are not nearly 

 so long as in pulviuata. 



Externally, the insect appears as a large 

 mass (5 to 10 mm. long) of snow white cot- 

 tony tufts, irregularly disposed, from the 

 midst of which spring many very long 

 curved white threads. The pupa itself is en- 

 tirely covered. 



Hab. — Boca del Usumacinta, Tabasco, Mex- 

 ico, July S, 1S97, on " Laurel," which is not 

 our plant of that name (Townsend.) Div. 

 Ent., 79S4. This remarkable insect resembles 

 Aleurodicus several respects; when all its 

 stages are known it will probably be referred 

 to a new genus. 



Aleurodes vinsonioides, n. sp. — Pupa of an 

 intense black, even after boiling. At one 



