THE MEALY BUG 63 



and enveloping secretion. Colour green, more or less obscured by a 

 white, powdery secretion ; median area becoming brownish with age, 

 the whole scale turning brown after death. Eyes black, conspicuous 

 during life, anal operculum dark brown. After gestation, a mass of 

 white cotton-like matter is secreted from the ventral area and pushed 

 out from the margin. The insect then rests on a cottony cushion 

 which projects on all sides, and is eventually re-cui'ved over the margin. 

 Ovisac iDrofuse. highly convex, white, cottony, with an inconspicuous 

 median furrow. Derm cells large, approximate, irregularly oval or 

 circular ; usually conspicuous in preparations from fresh material, but 

 often very indistinct and difficult to demonstrate in old, dried material. 

 Antennae eight-jointed, third joint longest. Usual formula : 3, 2, (4, 

 5), (1, 8), 6, 7; but in some examples the fourth is markedly shorter 

 than the fifth. Legs well-developed, tarsus about two-thirds length 

 of tibia ; foot with four digitules, the tarsals stout and dilated at extre- 

 mity. Margin closely set with stout hairs, which are strongly dilated 

 and dentate at extremity. Stigmatic cleft with three stout spines, of 

 which the median is much the longest, curved and projecting beyond 

 the margin. Valves of anal operculum variable in form and relative 

 proportions of base and outer edge, but the base is usually the shorter. 

 This variation is noticeable even in individuals from the same commu- 

 nities, and is particularly marked in some examples from myrtle, of which 

 no two individuals were identical in this particular. Ano-genital ring 

 with eight hairs, length of insect averaging 3 to 3'50 mm., but excep- 

 tionally large examples have reached 5 mm. Ovisac measuring 4'50 

 to 7 mm. in length. Some examples from myrtle, while showing all 

 the structural characters of the type were exceptionally small, the 

 adult insect measuring only 2 mm. in length with a correspondingly 

 small ovisac. 



Immature female more elongate, and with stigmatic indentations 

 more marked. Sometimes mottled with olive-brown on discal area. 

 In its earlier stages the insect bears a superficial resemblance to Leca- 

 nium viride, from which it may be distinguished by the absence of the 

 dark intestinal loop. 



Male unknown in Ceylon, though said to occur amongst examples 

 from the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere. 



It is important to add to this description that the 

 variability which Green noticed in Ceylon forms is much 

 greater in Mysore, and affects not only the size and anal 

 plates but also the antennal segments and the bi-lateral 

 symmetry. The number of segments in the antennae may 

 be reduced from eight to as few as five and the abnorma- 

 lity may affect one side and not the other. There is also 

 a considerable colour variation depending to some extent 

 on the kind of host plant. Those on teak, for example, 

 are almost invariably dark brown, while those on coffee 

 are yellowish-green and approach closely to the colour of 

 green bug. The newly-hatched young cannot be easily 

 distinguished from that of green bug. In the succeeding 



