43 



Meutuin ap])arently triarticulate, the last joint beset witli 8, the penultimate with 

 2 short hair.s. 



Femur decidedly longer than tibia, but femur and trochanter decidedly shorter 

 than tibia and tarsus. Trochanter with a long hair at its proximal end. Tibia with 

 several bristles or spines, three on the outer side and three near the distal end on 

 the inner aspect. Tarsus about as long as tibia, and with about four long bristles 

 or spines. The tarsus rapidly narrows almost to a point, and on the end of it is a 

 remarkably long, almost straight, claw. 



Kostral loop not ciuite reaching to level of insertion of middle legs. 



Anogenital ring with six large hairs. External to the insertion of the hairs is a 

 ring of oval marks, about 18 in number. 



Posterior tubercles rounded and indistinct, each bearing a bristle, not so lono- as 

 one of the bristles of anogenital ring. 



Habitat: Hempstead Harbor, LoDg Island. Ou roots of Spartina 

 between tide-marks. 



This is the first Kipersia described from this side of the world. The 

 species hitherto kDOwn are E. corynephori Sign., R. pulveraria Newst., 

 B. suhterranea Newst., E.fraxini Newst., aud R. tomUmi Newst., from 

 Europe; B. leptosperma Mask., from Australia, aud R. formicicola 

 Mask., R. rumicis Mask., and R.fagi Mask., from New Zealand. 



Of all these species none bear any very close resemblance to the 

 present one, except R. rionicis, which was fouud amongst roots of 

 Riimex acetosella in New Zealand. R. rumicis may be distinguished 

 from R. maritima by the color and by the relative lengths of some of 

 the antenual joints. 



The idea of a maritime Coccid was a very old one, long thought to 

 be exploded. Coccus zosterce Fab. was described as living on Zostera 

 in the Baltic. That this should be a Coccid is doubtless impossible, 

 and either the habitat' wroug o«" it is somethiug else, possibly a spe- 

 cies of Chiton. 



Much later Coccus halophilus Hardy was imperfectly described from 

 British speciifiens. It was found at the roots of Ligusticum, Ehodiola 

 and Statice, on rocks by the sea. Like our insect it is white, but it is 

 not properly a maritime species. 



The lirst genuinely maritime Coccid was described in 1883 by Prof. 

 Comstock. This, Chionaspis spartinw, was collected by Prof. W. 

 Trelease on Spartina at Woods Holl, Mass. The plants were com- 

 monly submerged at high tide nearly up to the insects, which were 

 themselves drenched with the salt spray. 



In Ripersia maritima we have the most extreme case known, for the 

 insects are entirely submerged at high tide. 



The conditions under Avhich this species exists are so peculiar and of 

 such great interest, that I have asked Mr. Nathan Banks, who discov- 

 ered the insect, to append below a full account of the facts as observed 

 by him : 



"The interesting marine Coccid described above by Prof. Cockerell is 

 found very abundantly in some localities on the shore near Sea Clifl". 



