23 
paper on Icerya and its parasites, of which he has shown me a small Chal- 
eid of which he bred several specimens from Icerya inclosed in paper 
box, saying it was a true parasite.* I bred this same insect from a few 
specimens of an Icerya sent to me by Dr. Bancroft, of Brisbane, as feed- 
ing upon mangrove tree (Avicennia officinalis, Linn.). This scale dif- 
fers in coloration from the true I. purchasi and may prove to be a new 
species. Mr. Maskell, to whom the insect was shown, thinks it only a 
variety. It would be an interesting one, however, for of all the J. 
purchasi that I have seen, none show such a uniform bright yellow 
color. No specimens found on mangrove at Auckland show such 
bright yellow color. Mr. Tryon is of the opinion that Icerya originated 
in China, from the fact that nearly all specimens he found at Brisbane 
wereupon plants from that country. Dr. Bancroft, in his paper on 
Coccide (Philosophical Society of Queensland, vol. 1, August, 1869), 
referred to the then undescribed Icerya, and at that time, asheassured 
me, he had been acquainted with the insect for several years. The 
doctor further mentioned the occurrence of a scale on the sugar-cane 
in Queensland living on the roots of the young plants, and as these be- 
came larger, behind the leaves. It had been imported with the canes 
from Mauritius. He promised to secure specimens for me. No doubt 
this will prove to be J. sacchari.t 
In the woods around Brisbane but few Coccids were found during my 
brief stay. The white waxy scale (Ceroplastes) so abundant on various 
plants in cultivation was here observed in large numbers upon a small 
shrub. Of the Monophlebus, which I had been informed was almost 
always numerous around Brisbane, only an occasional specimen could 
be found. Everything was so extremely dry that I gave up my in- 
tended trip by steamer further north, and as there was little prospect 
of obtaining sufficient material for a shipment at this place, I returned 
slowly towards Melbourne, making occasional stops along the road, yet 
without discovering any Icerya. At Melbourne I was fortunate in finding 
many more of the Monophlebus, On a few trees, under the bark, they 
occurred by the dozens, often many together, but they were all dried up 
and the flies had left sometime previous. Those in ground were still 
in good condition. A large number of them had deposited their eggs 
and were shriveled up, yet during the two days a fair number were found 
parasitized. At Sydney, January 21 to 23, a number of Iceryas with 
parasites, and probably two hundred or more of the Lady-birds in all 
*Mr. Tryon has recently published in a pamphlet entitled “ Report on Insect and 
Fungus Pests, No. 1,” a general description of this parasite, but without attempt to 
name or properly place it. From the description it seems to be identical with a true 
parasite of Icerya, which we have received from Mr. Crawford, and which we have 
characterized, since the above was in type, as Ophelosia crawfordi, n. g., 1. sp.—C. 
V. RR. 
t We find among Mr. Koebele’s Brisbane material a small Coccinellid not here re- 
ferred to, but which is labeled ‘‘ feeding on Icerya.” It may be the species referred 
to in the following paragraph, as found at Sydney, and must remain for the present 
undetermined.—C. V. R. 
