Britain of some undescrihed Aphides. 327 



tion of a Thelaxes hetida, but he makes this insect 

 synonj^mous with Vacuna hetulce, Heycl. From what I 

 have said before, the venation of this insect must differ 

 from my T. hetulina, and I do not adopt it as a 

 synonj'm. Kaltenbach has Vacuna hetulcs, and his 

 description in many points agrees with the insect here 

 shown to be at any rate new to Great Britain. But his 

 insect has ringed antennre, and, Hke others, he says his 

 Vacuna is the Vacuna of Heyden. 



Chermes taxi. 



The genus Chermes is at present restricted to a very 

 few described species, and of these two, viz., Chermes 

 ahietis and C. strohilobius, Kalt,, have been observed to 

 construct gall-hke swellings on their food-plants. The 

 last-named insect Kaltenbach describes as forming 

 excrescences on the shoots of Piniis ahies about the size 

 of a hazel nut. 



Prof. Eupert Jones has been good enough to send me 

 some galls made on the Irish yew, Taxus baccata, the 

 work of a Chermes, which certainly is not C. strobiloMiis, 

 and this insect I propose to name — 



Chermes taxi, Buckton. 

 Apterous viviparous female. — Size, 0*050 x 0"030 inch. Figure 

 irregular, oval. Colour dark shining brown or black. Very small. 

 Head much hidden in the thorax, black. Abdomen deeply ringed. 

 Dorsal and lateral portions roughened by numerous squarish 

 tubercles. Legs black, and not appearing beyond the carapace. 

 The anal ring is expanded into a pale semilunar termination, from 

 which is exserted a quantity of white flocculent filaments. 



The galls occur on the terminal shoots, and are com- 

 posed of from eight to sixteen pea-formed cells, united 

 into brown bunches. When cut into they are found to 

 be full of sap, and the walls to be constituted of alternate 

 layers of bright green and pink woody matter. I could 

 find no openings to these excrescences, bat as they were 

 gathered in the month of March it is very probable 

 that the openings would not occur until later in the 

 year, when the inhabitants were ready to assume wings, 

 as we know to be the case in CJicrmes ahietis. 



I have not been able to capturu any winged forms ; 



