CHAPTER XIII 



SUBFAMILY ERIOCOCCINAE 



The Mealy Bugs 



The body of the adult female varies from convex to subrotund, the 

 sides from convex to subparallel. It is elongate or short oval in outline 

 with the two ends bluntly pointed or bluntly rounded. The segmentation 

 is usually well defined. The caudal end of the body is not inflated and 

 the cephalic and lateral margins are not provided with a keel. The 

 antennae are prominent, consist of five to nine segments, and are articu- 

 lated to the ventral aspect of the head near each lateral margin or they 

 are rudimentary or wanting. The eyes are usually present, when pres- 

 ent, they are inconspicuous fuscous spots, a single ocellana located on 

 each lateral margin near the articulation of an antenna. The mouth- 

 parts, rostrum and rostralis, are always present, the rostrum usually 

 consists of two distinct segments, rarely only one. The legs are typi- 

 cally present. They may be rudimentary or wanting, if present, they 

 are subequal in length and normal in form. The profemora are never 

 enlarged, if enlarged, all the other femora are enlarged. The protho- 

 racic legs are never fitted for digging. The trochanto-femoral and the 

 tibio-tarsal sutures of all normally formed legs are always distinct. The 

 spiracles of the mesothorax and metathorax are normal in size and 

 form and ventral in position. The mesothoracic spiracles are never 

 located near the anus. The abdominal spiracles are always wanting. 

 The stigmatic clefts, spinae, and canellae are wanting. The abdomen is 

 normally about as long as the head and thorax together. It is subconvex 

 on the dorsal aspect and flat on the ventral aspect, sometimes thin and 

 disk-like, approaching a depressed condition. The lateral margins are 

 nearly straight and subparallel or strongly convergent and convex, the 

 caudal end is bluntly pointed or bluntly rounded or almost truncate. All 

 of the segments are fully exposed and similar in appearance with dis- 

 tinct coriae between them, none are retracted to form a marsupium. 

 The abdomen is never provided with an anal cleft and opercula. There 

 is typically a distinct anal ring provided with four, six, eight, or more 

 anal ring setae, anal ring and anal setae sometimes wanting. The anal 

 lobes are usually distinct and bear anal setae. The caudal abdominal 

 segment is never short and narrow and extending beyond the other seg- 

 ments, the caudal segments at least are campanulate. The body is pro- 

 vided with cerores none of which are octacerores or pilacerores and is 

 never provided with ceratubae. The body is never enclosed in a resinous 

 cell with three adjacent openings or covered by a scale with or without 

 exuviae, but is generally completely covered with powdery or mealy 

 wax, sometimes with masses of cottony or woolly threads of wax, often 

 found on or within a mass of rather compact cottony threads of wax 



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