SCALE-INSECTS. 85 



Female of the second stage more or less elliptical, slightly 

 convex, brown in colour beneath the thin white felted covering,, 

 which usually presents a segmented appearance, due to the 

 transverse rows of prominent spinnerets. Body covered thickly 

 on the dorsal surface with spines, which are subcylindrical, the 

 ends rounded, springing from tubercular bases. On the ventral 

 surface many smaller spiny hairs. Abdominal cleft normal, the 

 lobes large. Mentum probably monomerous : the tip bears 

 several hairs. Antennae of six somewhat hairy joints. Feet 

 with rather large femora ; the lower digitules are fine hairs. 

 Anogeiiital ring bearing numerous hairs. 



Adult female elliptical, convex, hollow beneath, brown in 

 colour, usually affecting the twigs and branches of the plant in 

 preference to the leaves. Apparently naked, but on close in- 

 spection found to retain at least portions of the thin felted 

 covering. Dorsal surface covered with great numbers of spines 

 similar to those of the second stage ; ventral surface with many 

 small spiny hairs. Antennae of seven joints. The feet have 

 large coxse and femora ; the tibia is only about half as long as 

 the tarsus ; the lower digitules are only fine hairs. 



Adult male of normal form of Lecanidince : colour brown. 

 On the head are six visual organs : two dorsal eyes, two ventral, 

 and two ocelli. Antennae reddish, ten- jointed ; the second joint 

 a good deal thicker than the rest, the second, third, and fourth 

 joints the longest; the last three moniliform; all the joints 

 hairy. On the five last joints are several hairs Avith knobbed 

 extremities. Feet slender, hairy ; digitules fine hairs. Ab- 

 dominal spike short and rather broad. On each side of the 

 base of the spike is a tubercle bearing a pair of longish sette ; 

 each pair of setae becomes enclosed in a long white cottony 

 thread, and the two threads form conspicuous "tails," as is com- 

 mon with most males of the Coccid family. 



Habitat On Olearia Haastii, Botanical Gardens, Welling- 

 ton. This is an alpine plant cultivated in the Gardens, and the 

 insect probably came with it from the mountains. 



This species is distinguished from E. spinosus by the great 

 number of spiny spinnerets on the dorsum of the female and by 

 the tubular character of the fringe. 



The curious and exceptional character of a tibia shorter that) 

 the tarsus in the adult female, as observed above, is found only 

 in this genus and some Acanthococcidce. 



