249 



I/ECANIUM MANGIFEBjE. 



Fig. 2. Fig. 1. Fig. 3. ^ Kg 4> 



Ovum — oblong-oval, very pale green. Just before hatching the eyes of the larvae 

 are visible through the skin. 



Newly-hatched larva — oval, dull pale yellowish; eyes dull red; abdomen 

 ending in two rounded lobes, between which is a pair of conical tubercles giving rise 

 to two fine setae about half as long as the body of the insect. Antennae with a few 

 stiff hairs. 



Half-grown larva — irregularly oval, broadest posteriorly, flat, very thin ; with 

 abdominal cleft, and lateral clefts above and below thorax. Margin with short, 

 minute cleft or glandular hairs. Colour very pale green, in parts almost colourless. 

 Eyes black. Anal scales triangular, yellowish. Remains of anal setae visible on 

 under-side as two short, opaque white threads, situated in a deep cavity below anal 

 scales. Feet terminating in knobbed digitules. 



Adult $ — thin, smooth, flatly convex, irregularly triangular, or rather short 

 oval narrow in front, very broad and rounded posteriorly. Marginal hairs not so 

 conspicuous as in larva (Fig. 4). Posterior margin cleft to the small rhomboidal 

 anal aperture, which is situated almost at the centre of the disc. Colour dull 

 greenish-yellow. Eyes black, situated very close to margin. Feet with two knobbed 

 digitules on the end of the tarsi and two on the claws. Abdomen concave below, 

 forming a receptacle for the eggs. Rostrum with a long, thin, brown, hair-like sucking 

 tube. Size of insect, 2 x 1£ lines. 



Male unknown. 



I have at present noticed this insect only upon mango trees 

 (Mangifera indica) in the district of Punduloya, Ceylon. It affects 

 the under-sides of the leaves, but its presence may be detected by the 

 usual black fungus that follows the attacks of nearly all insects of this 

 Family, and in this instance gives to the tree an appearance as of 

 having been thickly dusted with soot. It is very prolific ; under one 

 female I counted 54 eggs and eight newly-escaped larvae, while the 

 presence of numerous empty egg skins showed that other larvse had 

 previously left their shelter. The parent insect was still alive, and 

 other eggs could be seen inside its body, which was almost transparent. 



