Mr. A. G. Butler on three new Homoptera. 311 



nature ; and it is on this point tliat tlic whole question of herma- 

 phroditism or unisexual ity must be deeidcd. The testes of 

 Asellus afjiiaticusj on the external resemblance of which to 

 the supposed testes of his ])arasitic forms My. BuUar relies, have 

 an unusually marked and characteristic histoloj^ical structure. 

 They contain very lari;-e mother cells, in which the lon;^ fila- 

 ments of the developing spermatozoa arc coiled in bundles. 

 Although Mr. Bullar has examined his Isopods in all stages, 

 and in the fresh as well as prepared conditions, he gives no evi- 

 dence as to any such structure in the supposed testes of these 

 animals : he merely says that the organs " are filled with a 

 cellular blastema, from which doubtless the spermatozoa are 

 developed." 



It seems to me that the absence of positive evidence that the 

 spermatozoa are thus developed constitutes a serious flaw in 

 the chain of evidence by which IMr. Bullar seeks to establish 

 his conclusion. Testis-tissue is not by any means a difficult 

 object for histological observation ; and since it is evident, from 

 the detailed descri{)tion which Mr. Bullar gives of the minute 

 structure of the ovaries in his Isopods, that he has carefully 

 studied the histology of their generative organs, he could hardly 

 have overlooked definite testis-structure had such existed in 

 the objects which he terms testes. 



I cannot but consider that it will be more prudent to await 

 further evidence before accepting as demonstrated the fact that 

 the members of the subfamily of the Cymothoina3 alone amongst 

 Isopods are hermaphrodite — although, were this conclusion 

 confirmed, it would be of great interest, and might be con- 

 sidered as paralleled by such instances as the hermaphroditism 

 of the Serranidaa amongst fishes. 



XXIX. — Descriptions of three Tlomopterons Insects in the 

 Collection of the British Museum. By Arthur Gardiner 

 Butler, F. L.S. 



Platypleura, Amyot & Serville. 

 Platypleura nicoharica, n. sp. 



Allied to P. fulvi(jera from the Philippines, but larger, with 

 the tegmina longer, the whole of the spots crossing the coria- 

 ceous area testaceous, those crossing its apex smaller ; the 

 blackish transverse spots considerably smaller ; wings longer, 

 the subapical transverse fulvous fascicle replaced by three or 



22* 



