607 

 NOTES ON FLATA. 



BY 



J. 0. Kershaw, f.z.s., f.e.s. 

 ( With Plates A & B). 



Three species of Poekillopteridge or Flata are here discussed, 

 viz. : — 8alurnis marginellus, Gnerin, and another rather larger 

 species. Geisha distinctissima, Walk., both from South China ; also 

 Neomelicharia fiirtiva, Melichar, from North Queensland, Both 

 Geisha and Salumis feed in all instars on many plants, but their 

 favourite foodplant is Xanthoxi/lmn nitidimi, D. C, N. 0. Rutacece, 

 an exceedingly common and very prickly half-climbing shrub. 

 One species is also fond of the small tree Heptapleitrum octophyllvm ; 

 Hance, N. O. Araliaceoe. 



The female of Salumis 'marginellus is provided with a pair of 

 hard, chitinous saws (s, fig. 5) with which she cuts a slit in the 

 undersurface of a leaf, or in the bark of stems. An egg is then 

 inserted in the slit (e, fig. 1) together with a little colleterial fluid, 

 so that the leaf tissues adhere firmly to the chorion of the Qgg. 

 No white matter or wax is deposited on the embedded egg, but 

 a very tiny portion of which is visible through the slit in the 

 leaf, and then only with a lens. The eggs produce very slight 

 protuberances on the leaf surface, and are laid singly, though 

 sometimes two or three may be found in different parts of the 

 same leaf or stem. The length of the eggs is about 1-4 mm. 



Whilst in the ovary the eggs are circular in transverse section, 

 with four deep longitudinal invaginations of the chorion on the 

 dorsal surface, showing on the exterior of the egg as narrow lines, 

 and working out to nothing at head and tail (a, b, c, d, fig. 1), 

 When the egg is laid, however, it becomes in transverse section 

 shallow and exceedingly broad, and with the expansion of the egg 

 these invaginations totally disappear (g, fig. 1). The portion of 

 the chorion which forms the long, narrow lid, and faces the slit 

 in the leaf, is of different sculpture to the rest of the egg, which 

 is impressed by the ovarian epithelial cells with the usual more 



or less hexagonal reticulation. The object of this curious provi- 

 39 



