102 ASPIDIOTUS OSTREjEFOKMlS. 



paler. Eyes and ocelli black; the latter elongate 

 and placed close together. 



Perfect male (PL V, fig. 8) varying from ochivous 

 to pale orange yellow. Apodema black, sliming. Legs 

 dusky with long sparse hairs. Eyes and ocelli black. 

 Abdomen gradually becoming paler towards the ex- 

 tremity. Antennas of the same colour as the legs, 

 having eight long clubbed hairs on the apical joint 

 (PL V, fig. 9). 



Larva. Antennae funiculate, of six joints ; the first, 

 second, third, and fourth shortest ; fifth and sixth very 

 long, transversely striate or ringed, and form a little 

 more than two thirds of the entire length. 



Habitat. Cheshire, very common ; Haslemere (Dr. 

 Sharpe), Surrey ; Lewisham (Douglas) ; Bearsted, 

 Kent (Green) ; and Portarlington, Ireland. 



Apparently an extremely local species, but where it 

 occurs it is abundant and injurious. 



The food-plants are : plum, apple, pear, cherry, and 

 currant. Mr. Green's examples were on heather (Cal- 

 luna, sp.), which at the present time is the only wild, 

 indigenous plant known to harbour this insect in Great 

 Britain. It would seem, therefore, to have a decided 

 preference for cultivated fruit trees in this country. 



Distribution. Widely distributed, and common in 

 many parts of Europe, where it appears to be a very 

 general feeder. Until quite recently it was not known 

 to occur elsewhere ; but Mr. Cockerell informs me he 

 has received it from Alameda, California, on apple and 

 pear. I should imagine, however, that it has been 

 introduced into that country on cultivated plants; as 

 the species has not been recorded elsewhere in the 

 North American continent. 



Habits. Both male and female pass the winter in 

 the second stage ; and no apparent change takes place, 

 in either sex, until the beginning of- April. The second- 

 stage males then pupate, and about three weeks after 

 the pupal skin is thrown off and ejected at the pos- 

 terior extremity of the scale, where it remains for a 



