300 FOREST ENTOMOLOGY. 



Prothorax marked by two lateral teeth. Abdomen oval. Legs strong 

 and short. 



" Tail inconspicuous or none. Wings moderately long. Stigmatic 

 veins with their apices reflected." 



In this genus it would be well for the student to carefully 

 study the generic characters, inasmuch as the genus may be con- 

 founded with Lachnus. 



Melanoxanthus salicis (Linn.) 



This insect may be found very abundantly on the two-year-old 

 shoots of the common osier (Salix viminalis). They are gregarious 

 in their habits, and may be found clustering on the rods they select. 



The attacked rods may 

 be afterwards known by 

 ^ the deposition of a white 

 mealy substance on the 

 infected portion of the 

 stem. They are very 

 common in Cheshire 

 about the latter end of 

 June. 



The apterous female 



Fig. 280. Melanoxanthus salicis. (From Buckton's i , 



'Monograph of British Aphides.' Ray Society.) IS a Very large insect. 



The body is of an oval 

 shape, and of a sooty greyish - black colour. Along the dorsal 

 surface there is a faint median line of rudely diamond - shaped 

 spots of a greyish-heliotrope colour, and also similar spots on the 

 abdomen. The two largest spots are situated near the middle of the 

 body. The basal half of the antennae is of a terra-cotta colour, and 

 the apical portion is blackish or dark brown. In proportion to the 

 size of the body, the antennae are comparatively short, the third joint 

 being the longest. The legs are slightly pubescent, and similarly 

 coloured to the antennae. The cornicles are small and of a bright- 

 orange colour. The rostrum is fairly long, but appreciably longest in 

 the young stage. The tail is not very long or conspicuous. 



The pupa is somewhat similar to the above, except that the thorax 

 is a more slaty colour. 



The winged viviparous insect (fig. 280) is very large, but not so 



