CHAPTER XIV 

 SUBFAMILY TACHABDIINAE 



The Lac Insects 



The body of the adult female is typically conical or subconical or 

 subglobose with the mouth-parts located at the pointed end of the cone 

 and the anus at the other. Body always irregular in form, bag-like. 

 It is impossible to identify the lateral margins and the aspects are not 

 well defined. The caudal end is never inflated with the cephalic and 

 lateral margins keeled. The antennae are minute, vestigial, consist of 

 three or four segments, and are articulated to the ventral aspect of the 

 head. The eyes are wanting. The mouth-parts, rostrum and rostralis, 

 are always present, the rostrum consists of two segments. The legs are 

 wanting. The metathoracic spiracles are normal in size and ventral in 

 position. The mesothoracic spiracles are large and distinct, always larg- 

 er than the metathoracic spiracles, and are located near prominent stig- 

 matic processes which are always located near the anus, the distance 

 from the anus varying with the species. The abdominal spiracles are 

 always wanting. The stigmatic clefts and spinae are wanting. The 

 lateral surface of each stigmatic process bears a canella and spiracerores. 

 The anus is located at the end of a prominent anal process. There is 

 usually an anal spine associated with the stigmatic and anal processes. 

 The anus is surrounded by a prominent anal ring bearing about ten anal 

 ring setae. The body through the migration of the mesothoracic spiracles 

 is greatly distorted, so that the abdomen appears to be two or more times 

 as long as the head and thorax together. The abdomen is bag-like or 

 jug-like with three necks. The lateral margins are wanting. All of the 

 segments are fully exposed, none of the coriae between them can be 

 identified, and none of the segments are retracted to form a marsupium. 

 The abdomen is never provided with an anal cleft and opercula or anal 

 lobes and anal setae. The anal ring is always distinct, located on the 

 anal process, and provided with ten anal ring setae located on six plates. 

 The caudal abdominal segment can not be identified. The body, except 

 the stigmatic and anal processes, is not provided with cerores and none 

 of these are octacerores or pilacerores. The body is never provided with 

 ceratubae. The body is always enclosed in a resinous cell with three 

 adjacent openings, small threads of wax often protruding from the three 

 openings. The rectum is never provided with a long glassy tube of wax 

 or with a chitinized rectal tube bearing rings of anacerores. The body is 

 never naked and gall-like in form. It is never covered or associated with 

 mealy or powdery or cottony wax. 



The female nymphs of all stages are provided with a rostrum and 

 roetralis. The three pairs of legs are present in the first nymphal stage 



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