Two new Coccidae from Cyrenaica. 



G. F. FERRIS. 



Stanford University, California. 



Through the kindness of Dr. F. Silvestri I have been enabled 

 to examine a small collection of mealy bugs from Cyrenaica on 

 the Mediterranean coast of Africa and these are herein reported 

 upon. The collection contains but three species and of these I am 

 describing two as new. It is not at all improbable that these two 

 will prove to be identical with species already described from 

 Europe and some explanation of my reasons for now describing 

 them is called for. 



Under the existing conditions it is practically impossible to 

 determine the majority of the species of this and some of the 

 other groups of the Coccidae from the literature because of the 

 inadequacy of the descriptions. In fact, it is quite safe to say 

 that almost none of the species of mealy bugs that have been 

 described from continental Europe can be recognized without 

 recourse to the types or other authentic material. In view" of 

 this condition it is evident that the student of these insects will 

 very frequently be confronted by two alternatives. Either his 

 material must be placed as unidentifiable or new species must 

 be described. To choose the former of these alternatives is to 

 delay indefinitely all progress in the study of the group. To 

 choose the latter and to accompany the choice by adequate fi- 

 gures and descriptions means merely the making of a few 

 synonyms that may later be cleared up. I have elected the latter 

 course and it is my belief that the accompanying figures and 

 descriptions will permit the reasonably certain recognition of 

 these species. 



I may here call attention to the fact that the.se descriptions 

 and figures are based upon specimens that have been carefully 

 stained according to the procedure that is now being generally 

 adopted by students of the Coccidae. In the case of both of the 

 new species a holotype has been designated and this has been 

 returned to Professor Silvestri. Paratypes are deposited in the 

 Stanford University collection of Coccidae. 



