1889.1 275 



OBSERVATIONS ON C0CCID2E (No. 4). 

 by albert c. f. mobgan, e.l.s. 



Anal tubeecles. 



The figures on the accompanying PI. IV represent the general 

 exterior appearance of the insects which I selected as types of the 

 sub-families Lecanina and Coccina, when treating of the caudal ap- 

 pendages in my last paper, No. 3 (ante pp. 189 — 196). Fig 1 shows 

 the ventral side and fig. 2 the dorsal side of Dactylopius citri, Boisd., 

 adult female ; but when re-drawing and engraving my figure, the 

 artist has inadvertently figured the antennae with seven joints instead 

 of eight. The dots on the lateral margins of each segment in fig. 2 

 represent the position of the glands which secrete the mealy powder, 

 so characteristic of the genus Dactylopius, or " white mealy bug." 

 Pig. 3 represents a sprig of Oleander, much populated with Lecanium 

 olece, natural size, of which fig. 4 is the adult female and fig. 5 the 

 larva. 



Mr. Maskell, in his " Account of New Zealand Scale Insects," 

 introduces a new division or sub-family, which he has called " Hemi- 

 coccidinoe" and which he " considers intermediate between the Leca- 

 nidince and the Goccidince.'''' He says (I. c. p. 87), " Larva? presenting 

 at the extremity of the abdomen two conspicuous protuberances, or 

 ' anal tubercles,' as in the following group, Goccidince ; abdominal 

 lobes and cleft absent. Adult females exhibiting the abdominal cleft 

 and lobes of Lecanidince." He institutes this new sub-family in order 

 to include the genus Kerines, but this is contrary to the opinion of 

 Signoret, who states (Ess. s. 1. Coch., p. 301), " Mais si on etudie ces 

 memes especes a l'etat de larve, alors elles presentent les vrais carac- 

 teres des Coccites ; menton multiarticule, et l'extremite abdominale 

 plus ou moins fendue et lobee sur les cotes, mais sans les squames 

 caudales des Lecanides." 



I have no personal experience of the genus Kermes, and I observe, 

 that although Mr. Maskell proposes to include in his new sub-family 

 several genera which Signoret includes in the Lecanina (e. g., Pollinia, 

 Aster olecanium, &c, &c), he mentions (I. c), " that none of the insects 

 belonging to this group have as yet been reported as occurring in New 

 Zealand." 



I cannot, of course, express a definite opinion as to the desirability 

 of establishing another sub-family without examining the genera pro- 

 posed to be included ; but, from Dr. Signoret's figures and descriptions 

 (op. cit., PI. xiv and p. 347), I do not see any reason why the genus 



