96 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO CITRUS TREES. 



age and fruit. This, or a closely-allied 

 species, is found on plants in hot-houses. 

 Professor Comstock, in his Entomolog- 

 ical Report of 1880, writes: "The male of 

 this species has never been found, al- 

 though it has been studied from the lime 

 of Linnaeus down." 



In September, 1880, I prepared a dry 

 mounting of a specimen of Lecanium hes- 

 peridum for microscopic use at the State 

 Fair of "that year. Early in the week a 

 small insect was noticed coming from un- 

 der a specimen beneath the glass, and 

 finally released itself, it proved to be a 

 male scale insect. 



NATURAL, HISTORY. Female a broad, 

 oval scale, measuring from one and one- 

 quarter to one and one-half lines in length, 

 widest at the posterior end; color, dark 

 brown on top, and a lighter brown sur- 

 rounding the margin. Two indentations 

 on the margin on each side, and a large 

 indentation on the posterior end. It has 

 powers of locomotion similar to those of 

 other LccnuiidKN. I have not found the 

 egg of this species, but have found large 

 numbers of the young larvae as many 

 as forty -five under one specimen. The 

 young larva; appear about the first of 

 May in the vicinitj'of Sacramento. Larva 

 length, one-eighty-rifth of an inch; color, 

 dark or dirty yellow; antenna*, six jointed 

 (some specimens appear to have seven 

 joints); two anal setae. 



DESCRIPTION. Length of body, one- 

 seventy-second of an inch; from front of 

 head to apex of wing, one-twenty-fourth 

 of an inch; posterior stylets, one-forty- 

 fifth of an inch, or one-half the length of 

 body; color, body, immaculate golden 

 yellow; eyes, dark or black; antenna; 

 (from the peculiar position in which they 

 are placed I can only count seven joints), 

 golden yellow and hairy; legs, golden 

 yellow. 



As it did not agree with the description 

 of any of the male scale insects I had read 

 of, or specimen males of aurantii, pci 

 cioaus, persece, rapax, roseae, or purchast . 

 nay possession, I could only imagine that 

 it was the male of L. ty yeridum (be what 

 it may, it came from u.. }r the L. hesper- 

 idum scale), and fortunately I preserved 

 the mounting. 



COTTONY CUSHION SCALE. (CAL.) 



(fcerya purchasi Mask ell.) Order, He- 

 miptera; sub-order, Homoptera; family, 

 Coecidce. 



[A white, cushion-like scale insect, feed- 

 ing upon citrus trees, deciduous fruit trees, 

 forest trees and on some varieties of veg- 

 etables.] 



This species of scale insect I consider 

 the most dangerous of any that infests 

 fruit and other trees in California, as it 

 may be said to be a general feeder. It is 

 found on all varieties of citrus trees, de- 

 ciduous fruit trees, on many varieties of 

 ornamental trees, forest trees and shrubs; 

 also on some varieties of vegetables. The 

 apparent color of this scale insect at first 

 sight is white, with a dark colored head. 

 On examination it is found that the part 

 indicated by the dark color is the insect, 

 and the white portion a bag or case spun 

 by the insect to conceal her oggs when de- 

 posited. 



The females, after ovipositing (the egg 

 case included), differ in size, some meas- 

 uring six lines in length ; but the general 

 length is from three to four lines; width, 

 one and one-half to three lines, and slight- 

 ly tapering toward the posterior end. %Cach 

 female deposits from two hundred to rive 

 hundred eggs. In one instance 1 counted 

 seven hundred and three. The egg's are 

 oblong-ovate in form, and of a pale red 

 color. 



Larva color, body red; antemi;, six 

 jointed, clubbed at the apex, on which are 

 six long hairs color, smoky black; legs, 

 smoky black (the joints of the antennae 

 and legs are lighter in color than the bal- 

 ance); there are six long anal hairs; the 

 margin of the body and back is also dot- 

 ted with hairs; length of body, one-thirty- 

 fifth of an inch. 



The female insect during her growth 

 assumes a variety of colors; principally 

 yellowish red, with irregular blotches of 

 white, green and yellow. At full growth, 

 and before spinning egg case, she is ovoid 

 in form. The hairs on the anal margin 

 and sides are used as spinarets, exuding 

 a. cottony-like secretion, of which the egg 

 case is formed. During her growth, and 

 before beginning to spin her egg case, the 

 females exude a honeydew, which forms 

 a black smut on the branches and foliage, 



