104 ME. E. P. STEBBING ON THE LIEE-HISTOKS' OF 



and branches have a thin and open appearance, and are seen to contain numerous old 

 and new galls upon them (cf. PI. 20. fig. 1). 



Distribution. 



I have noted the presence of this insect in Jaunsar, Tehri Garhwal, Simla Hill States, 

 Bashahr, and Charaba States. It is doubtless distributed throughout the Western 

 Himalaya Region wherever the Spruce and Silver Fir are associated together in 

 mixture. 



Description. 



Stem-Mother (Fundatrices). — The skin of tbe dead insect is a dark brown madder to 

 black in colour. The insect is furnished with a very long proboscis, which is found fixed 

 in the tissues of the shoot. 



Egg-Mass. — The egg-mass consists of a cluster of brown-yellow or brown-madder 

 eggs jilaced close together in such a manner as to resemble a rather open bunch of 

 grapes. This bunch is covered, and to some extent probably protected, by the dried skin 

 of the stem-mother. 



Egg. — Small, ovate-elliptical, almost hen-egg-shaped, shining yellow to yellow-brown 

 or brown-madder in colour. Length 0'5 millim. 



Young Larva from Spring Eggs (Alat^:). — As seen under the microscope this is 

 small, a brown-madder in colour ; antennas consist of two large basal joints, followed 

 by a narrower longer one which is surmounted by a hair. The proboscis is short. 

 Three pairs of short legs are present, and the body is simply segmented and not as yet 

 much corrugated and creuulated. 



Half-grown Larva. — Brown-madder in colour, the legs and antennas bright yellow. 

 No indications of wings are yet visible on the dorsal surface of the thorax. The 

 abdomen is slightly more ridged and corrugated than in tbe newly hatched larva 

 (vide PL 20. figs. 3, 4). Figure 4 is about three-quarters grown and shows the first 

 commencement of the wing-jn-otuberances on either side behind the head. 



Fully-grown Larva. — Small, thick, puffy, wingless, dull purple-brown in colour, much 

 ridged and corrugated dorsally, the lateral edges crenulate, and the anterior coxae 

 greatly enlarged and globose. Beneath the skin on each side of the mesothorax a small 

 dull yellow excrescence can be seen, and posteriorly to this on the metatborax, also at 

 the side, a longish dark flatter protuberance. These protuberances are the new fully- 

 developing wings. Legs and antennas yellowish green. Antennas six-jointed. No wool 

 is secreted by the insect at this stage. Length 114 to 1-35 millim. (PI. 21. fig. 2.) 



Winged Insect (Alatle). — After the last moult of the larval or nymph skin the Aphid 

 is very brightly coloured. Head and pro thorax black and shining, mesothorax and 

 metatborax both dorsally and ventrally dark orange-brown. Wings pale apple-green 

 with yellow nervures. Abdomen shining black. Legs and antennas bright canary- 

 yellow. Short, thick-set, almost squarish, the body flatter than before the nymph's 

 final moult. Head small ; antennas six -jointed, the first joint very small, second and 

 third small, fourth longest ; prothorax broad and much channelled, the rest of thorax 



