1894.] 



179 



OBSERVATIONS ON COCCIDJE (No. 8). 



BY E. NEWSTEAD, F.E.S., 

 CURATOR OF THE &ROSTENOR MUSEUM, CHESTER. 



ASPIDIOTUS ABIETIS. 



Coccus ahietis, Schk., Beitr. zur Naturg., 48, 5, tab. ii, fig. 16 — 20 



(1776). 

 Coccus arloruin, Schk. {nee Geoffr.), Enum. Ins. Aust., 295, 585 



(1781). 

 Coccus pineti, Schk., Fauna Boica, ii, 146, 1269 (1801). 

 Aspidiotus Jlavus, ^ , Hartig, Jahresber., i, 642 (1837). 

 Aspidiotus pini, ? , Hartig, Jahresber , i, 642 (1887). 

 ? Aspidiotus ? pini, Cotnstock, Eeport, 1880, p. 306, pi. xv, fig. 2 ; pi. 



xvi, fig. 2 ; pi. xxi, fig. 7. 

 Aspidiotus ahietis, F. Low, Wiener ent. Zeit., i, 270 (1882). 



Scale of the ? black, covered with a very thin grey film, most conspicuous near 

 the centre and at the margins, giving the scale a greyish appearance under the 



/<9- 



Long., elongate form, 1"50 — 1-75 mm. ; circular form, "75 mm. 

 micro.=;cope ; ovate, with the sides parallel, ends rounded ; or often more or less 

 circular, varying according to position on the fir leaf; exuviae bright yellow. 



'^ . Pygidium either with or without grouped spinnerets ; when present, the 

 anterior groups consist of from 3 — 7, the anterior laterals 8 — 12, the posterior 

 laterals 6 — 8 ; arising from both dorsal and ventral surface at the margin are 

 numerous (? 16) long tubular spinnerets, which are directed forwards, and lie closely 

 appressed to the body (fig. 1) ; at a a three of these tubes are shown misplaced and 

 directed backwards ; all have a wide flange at the apex and base, but the latter not 

 so strongly developed ; in the centre of the tube at the apex is a very short (scarcely 

 perceptible) cone-shaped organ, most easily seen in those tubes which have become 

 shrivelled (fig. B). Dr. Low {I. c.) describes these tubes as "bottle-necked rods," 

 but does not say if they are free, or within the body of the insect. The shrivelled 

 tubes shown at fig. 1 B I at first mistook for distorted hairs, for which they might 

 well pass. Prof. Comstock (Rep., 1883, p. 52, pi. i, fig. 2) describes these forms as 

 " wax ducts," but says nothing of their being shrivelled. Fig. ii is a drawing of the 

 fringe, not hitherto figured. 



