44: INSECTS NOXIOUS TO AGRICULTURE. 



Adult male unknown. 



Habitat On Dysoxylon spectabile, Wellington. 

 Allied to A. atherospermce, but differing in the abdominal 

 lobes and spinnerets. 



7. ASPIDIOTUS EPIDENDRI, Bouche. 



Chermes epidendri, Boisduval ; Ent. Hort., 1867, p. 339. 

 Aspidiotus epidendri, Signoret, loc. cit., 1869, p. 121. 

 N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 197. 



Female puparium circular, flat, dirty-white or brownish ; 

 diameter, about y^in. 



Male puparium elongated, the sides parallel. 



Adult female greenish yellow, peg-top shaped. Abdomen 

 ending in several lobes, of which only the two median are con- 

 spicuous ; between the lobes several serrated scaly hairs, and some 

 spines. Four groups of spinnerets : upper groups, eight to ten 

 orifices ; lower groups, six to eight : many single spinnerets. 



Adult male somewhat long, yellowish in colour ; antennae 

 of ten joints ; feet having somewhat thick femora, the tibise 

 and tarsi slender ; all the joints hairy. The abdominal spike, 

 or sheath of the penis, is rather long, and the tubercle at its 

 base is large. 



Habitat On palms and orchids in hothouses, passim 011 

 wattle, rarely, Christchurch. 



This is a European insect, affecting hothouse plants, and 

 scarcely likely to do damage out-of-doors. It is closely allied 

 to A. nerii. 



8. ASPIDIOTUS NERII, Bouche ; Schadl. Gart. Ins., 1833, 52. 



Diaspis Bouchei, Targioiii-Tozzetti ; " Studie sulle Cocci- 



neglie," 1867. 



Aspidiotus Bouchei, Targioni; Catal., 1868, 45, 1. 

 N.Z. Trans,, Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 217. 



(Plate IV., Fig. 4.) 



Female puparium circular, flat, white or greyish ; diameter, 

 about -j^in. 



Male puparium oval, white ; about -^m. in length. 



Adult female yellow, peg-top shaped, but almost globular. 



Abdomen ending in six lobes, of which the two median are the 



largest. Between and a little beyond the lobes are a number of 



scaly serrated hairs, some of which exhibit serrated extremities ; 



