109 



The adult male (/) is a fine insect, rather larger than usual 

 amongst coccids, the body measuring almost ^ inch and the ex- 

 panded wings f inch. It is not, at first sight, unlike the male of 

 the allied genus Icerya {I. Purchasi, the cottony-cushion scale), 

 having a red body and dark-brown wings. But the characteristic 

 feature of the genus MonojMehus is the presence of a number o£ 

 tassels on the abdomen — two on the last segment but one, and 

 four on the last segment {g). In the figure one of the tassels is 

 shown as cut off. The head, thorax, and abdomen are red, with 

 darker patches ; the thorax smooth, the abdomen cylindrical and 

 segmented. On each segment are a few hairs, and each of the 

 tassels bears several long setae. The eyes are prominent, dark- 

 brown, and conspicuously facetted. The wings are large, brown, 

 with a strong red, bifurcated nervure, and two longitudinal 

 whitish streaks or hyaline bands. The halteres are thick and in- 

 flated, with four seta-like hooks. Antennae (/and h) long and 

 rather stout, with ten joints, each of which is constricted in the- 

 middle, and may be easily mistaken for two. Each joint bears 

 two rings of very long fine hairs. Feet (i) long and slender ; the 

 trochanter has a long seta ; tibia more than twice the length of 

 the tarsus ; upper digitules absent, lower pair fine hairs. There 

 are no ocelli on the head. 



This is a very interesting insect for several reasons, the first of 

 which may be that, as far as my information extends, the females 

 of Monojihlebus, as noted above, have not yet been described. The 

 males of seven species are given in Dr. Signoret's work, the des- 

 criptions being taken verbatim from We,stwood's "Arcana Ento- 

 mologiae," 1841 ; and nobody else seems to have examined or 

 described the genus. Of these seven one (J/. lUigeri) is given as 

 from "Yan Diemen;" in size it nearly agrees with our insect, the 

 male being about |- inch long, with -| inch expansion of wings ^ 

 but it [the male] is said to be " nigricans, pedibus nigris," and ta 

 have tassels on each abdominal segment. These old descriptions, 

 especially in the absence of any notice of the females, are too 

 vague for identification. Westwood assigns 22 joints to the 

 antenna of the male M. lUigeri. He had evidently examined it 

 only with a lens, and failed to see the constriction in each joint. 



The female M. Crcavfoixli resembles very much in outward 

 appearance the New Zealand insect CcvJostoma Zealandicum, and 

 my friend Mr. Crawford sent it to me as of that genus. But the 

 presence of a distinct rostrum, which can easily be seen although 

 it is very small, quite removes it from Ccdostoma ; and I have 

 pleasnre, whilst ascribing it to its proper genus, in connecting it 

 with his name. Of proper habitat, it cannot well be said to have 

 any, as it crawls about freely, though slowly. Probably, as stated 

 above,, the second female stage may be some day found to be 

 stationary on some plant in waxy tests. 



