173 



A NEW GENUS OF COCCID.E, INJURING THE ROOTS 

 OF THE GRAPE-VINE IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



By T. D. a. Cockerell, N.M. Agr.Exp. Sta. 



Cryptinglisia, no v. gen. 



A Lecaniine coccid having a glassy covering containing air- 

 spaces, and retaining the legs and antenna (7 or 8 joints) in the 

 adult. Living in galls on the roots of Vitis. Differs from 

 Inglisia in its mode of life ; in the glassy scale not being divided, 

 tortoise-like, into plates ; and in the air-cells running together, 

 forming long air-spaces. Larva ordinary, with six large bristles 

 on the cephalic margin. Male unknown. 



Cryptinglisia lounshuryi, n. sp. 



$ . Adult about 2i- mm. long, soft, shiny, very dark brown, covered 

 with a semitransparent, brittle, glassy scale. Skin transparent and 

 colourless on boiling in KHO ; mouth-parts moderate, rostral loop 

 not very long ; margiu with a row of simple spines, brownish, about 

 24 jt* long, placed close together ; anal lobes ordinary, about 160 jjl 

 long, yellowish brown, surrounded basally by a large thick dark-brown 

 chitinous plate, more or less semilunar in form, with the ends pro- 

 duced ; a row of small round glands in the middle line from one end 

 of tbe body to tbe other, but best developed posteriorly ; antennae and 

 legs pale ; legs ordinary, femur + trochanter about 120, tibia about 

 96, tarsus about 78, claw about 20 /x ; claw-digitules about as long as 

 claw, with large knob^ ; tarsal digitules long, with distinct knobs : 

 antennae 7 or 8 jointed, having three types, thus : (1.) 7-jointed with 

 a short 3, all the joints subequal, 21 to 80 fi. (2.) 7-jointed with a 

 long B, which is about 41 /x long. (3.) 8-jointed, witli 2 quite short, 

 and 3 and 4 each about 30 /x long. The terminal joint is always 

 short, 21 to 26 ^. 



These insects occur underground on the roots of grape-vines, 

 living in galls which are more or less globular, 4 to 5 mm. 

 diameter, dark, rough and often nodulose on the outside, often 

 aggregated together in numbers, or even coalescing, so that the 

 root presents a nodulose thickening 6 or 7 mm. in diameter and 

 over 20 mm. long. On breaking open the galls, which are quite 

 hard, one finds a cavity containing the coccid. Small stones are 

 frequently embedded in the sides of the galls. 



Hah. Constantia, Cape Colony, at the roots of Stein and 

 Eeisling grapes {Vitis vinifera). Mr. Chas. P. Lounsbury, 

 sending the specimens, says : " None were observed more than 

 eight or nine inches from the surface, and all were on fibrous 

 roots. As you will observe from the specimens, they are some- 

 what gregarious ; ofttimes one or two rootlets will be quite 

 covered, while all the others are free* Most of the infested vines 



