275 



The colour and pattern of many nymphs is quite different from 

 that of the adults, and will undoubtedly prove a valuable aid in 

 the identification of many closely allied species. 



Mcmhracidac: The metamorphoses of this bizarre family are 

 but little known, thought the American Ccrcsa bubahis has been 

 more or less worked out. 



The eggs are placed in small compound groups, arranged in 

 two nearly parallel or slightly curved slits in the twigs of certain 

 trees, the number in each slit varying from six to twelve, while 

 there may be as many as ten slits filled. These eggs have been 

 figured by Riley and by Marlatt and copied into various works. 

 According to Buckton (PI. 49 fig. 6C) "Oxyrhachis ligjiicohi" de- 

 posits its eggs in grooves in the bark of leguminosae. 



Nymphal stages have been figured by Riley, Green, Buckton, 

 Scheller and others ; these differ from the adults by the absence, 

 either wholly or in part, of the pronotal hood, while the tergites 

 are often furnished with long filaments or with spinose projec- 

 tions. The caudal end of the abdomen is also, in certain forms, 

 fin-nished with a retractile process, which will be briefly discuss- 

 ed when considering the relations of leaf-hoppers to ants. 



Of Australian species. Coding has figured Zanophara tasiiia- 

 ii'.ac, Sextius dcprcssiis and an unknown nymph of probably the 

 same genus as a specimen collected at Kuranda ; it probably re- 

 fers to a new genus in the neighborhood of Hypsoprora Stal, and 

 is now figured to display the characteristic granulation of mem- 

 bracid nymphs. (PI. XXIV fig. 11 and 12.) 



A second specimen, also from Kuranda (fig. 10) is undoubted- 

 ly membracine, but can scarcely refer to any described genus. It 

 measures 7 mill by 5 mill, is flat and strongly foHaceous and 

 strongly granulate in patches. The basal half of the vertex 

 is porreot, very transverse, being 4 to 4^ times as wide as one 

 of the f/or^aZ/j'-si'tuated eyes, very deeply roundly emarginate in 

 the middle so that the vertex is very nearly linear. It is also 

 deeply emarginate (I)ut less so) submedianly ; it is about three 

 times as wide as long at its longest point. The anterior half of 

 the vertex is perpendicular, the disk deeply excavate, transverse, 

 strongly granulate, spinose behind the eyes. The flat face is of 

 course overshadowed by the underside of the vertex. The 

 figure shows the remarkable general appearance. 



In the Ccrcopidac the nymphal instars of some genera are well 

 known to every one in Temperate Zones, owing to their habit 

 of establishing themselves on the stem or leaf of some herb or 

 tree, and enveloping themselves in their own frothy secretion 



