1989.] 



317 



On stove plants sent to me from time to time I have occasionally 

 found a few individual specimens of this species ; but in January, 

 1888, I received from Mr. R. Irwin Lynch, Curator of the Botanic 

 Garden, Cambridge, some leaves of Anthurium regale, Pothos aurea, 

 and Cycas circinalis, all thickly infested, on the under-side, with this 

 Dactylopius in all stages of existence — fully developed females and 

 their eggs enveloped in a mass of excreted cottony matter, and every 

 grade also more or less surrounded with the cottony material and 

 exuviae ; in a few small cottony sacs were males about to be perfected, 

 and among them three fully developed ; nearly all the insects pre- 

 ferred the shelter of the ribs of the leaf. 



Dactylopius theobhom^:, n. sp. 



? adult. Broad -short -oval, slightly narrow in front, tumid, 

 pale yellowish, antennae and legs concolorous ; body on the, upper 

 surface covered with fine white powder, but leaving the segmentation 

 visible ; margin with short hairs and a series of Ion g, subconical, granular, 

 white projections all round ; anal processes evident, rounded ; hairs 

 of anal ring normal, caudal seta? (denuded) very fine, short. Antennae 

 short, of eight joints (fig.) ; 1st very stout, not short ; 2nd and 3rd 

 longer, in length subequal, strong, but each consecutively thinner ; 4th 

 shortest of all ; 5th and 6th each a trifle longer than 4th, subequal ; 

 7th a trifle longer than 6th ; 8th pointed, longest of all, equal to 5th, 

 6th, and 7th together ; all with fine projecting hairs, the terminal 

 ones on 8th longest. Legs strong, with few projecting hairs ; tarsi 

 half the length of tibia; ; claw short ; digitules of tarsi and claws long, 

 very fine. Length, 3 mm. 



Male unknown to me. 



On the 30th April last Mr. R. T. Lewis sent me a specimen of 

 this species, one of three which he had just previously found on 

 Theobroma cacao in the gardens of the Royal Botanic Society. The 

 insect lived for several days and exuded a large quantity of loose, 

 flossy matter, enveloping the end of the body and extending to more 

 than twice its length ; in this a large quantity of oval, yellow eggs 

 were deposited. The insect has the prima facie aspect of a Pseudo- 

 coccus, but the antennas having only eight joints, and there being four 

 digitules on the tarsi and claws, it must be referred to Dactylopius, of 

 which genus it appears to be an undescribed species. 



The figure of the antenna is transferred from a drawing by Mr. 

 R. T. Lewis. 



8, Beaufort Gardens, Lewisham : 

 May, 1889. 



