250 ICERYA ^GYPTIACUM. 



pletely covers the underside of it (Fig. 7, />), closely 

 attached thereto at the edges, forming a capacious 

 receptacle, quite smooth externally, but with the 

 faintest indications of longitudinal stria3 ; above this 

 the abdomen remains horizontal " (Douglas, 1. c.). 



Long, 5-7 mm. 



Second-stage female resembling the adult insect. 

 Antenna? of from seven to nine joints, usually eight. 



Puparium of the male composed of a rather closely- 

 felted white secretion. 



Long, 2*50-3 mm. 



Habitat. On a freshly-imported plant at the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens, Kew. This is the only recorded in- 

 stance of its occurrence in the British Isles. When 

 it was discovered how serious a pest this was the 

 infested plant was promptly destroyed, and nothing 

 further has been seen of the insect. 



Distribution. - - Douglas's types were sent from 

 Alexandria, Egypt, in 1889, with a note that "they 

 were causing immense injury to fruit trees." Rear- 

 Admiral R. W. Bloomfield, R.N., has also sent speci- 

 mens to me from the same locality, and writes of it 

 " as an eleventh Egyptian plague, which made its 

 appearance at Alexandria in 1885, and has since 

 proved most destructive to all kinds of vegetation ; 

 origin unknown" (in lit. 10th September, 1892). In 

 1892 Miss Tomlin sent it to me from Madras, where 

 she had found it on a purple-leaved plant very like a 

 Coleus. Howard and Riley (1. c.) give some additional 

 information as to its occurrence at Alexandria, and 

 speak of it as causing the greatest alarm. 



