Maskell. — On Neiv Zealand Coccidae. 141 



Nelson and Auckland, but no remedy has been attempted. The best autho- 

 rities in America have come to the conclusion that the only cure is the de- 

 struction of infected plants. Some day the people of New Zealand will have 

 to find this out also, but the longer it is delayed the worse the work will be. 

 Whether this pest will spread in our colder southern climate as it has in 

 the warmer north remains to be seen. Our gardeners here are not in much 

 dread of outdoor insects, they confine their attentions to those in green- 

 houses. They may be right, still the winter even in Canterbury is not 

 severe enough to kill these insects, and I know that in the Christchurch 

 public gardens many trees have had to be burnt simply on account of the 

 ravages of Coccidas. If leery a purchasi, as seems likely, makes it way down 

 here, I very much doubt whether gardeners will find it an easy matter to 

 keep it in subjection. 



Genus Cselostoma, mihi. 

 (Trans., vol. xii., p. 294.) 



1. Colostoma zalandicum, mihi. 

 /Trans., vol. xii., p. 294: vol. xiv., p. 226.) 



The haltere of the male in this insect, which I had at first taken to 

 resemble that of Porphyrophora, has, as I find, four terminal setae, and 

 generally resembles that described and figured below, under my next species. 



2. Colostoma ivairoense, sp. nov. 



Figs. 45-51. 

 Male insect so nearly resembling C. zcelandicum in outward appearance 

 that it may be very easily mistaken for it, having a red or purplish body 

 about £ inch long, bluish wings with strong red nervures, prominent eyes 

 with numerous large facets, and antennas of ten joints. The antennas (fig. 

 45) are, however, more slender than in that species, and have fewer and 

 finer hairs. The legs also have fewer hairs, especially on the tibia. The 

 claw differs entirely, not only from C, zcdandicum, but also from every 

 other species known to me. Instead of having two, or four, or no digitules, 

 it shows a great number of them, forming indeed a sort of brush round 

 the claw (fig. 47). I have counted as many as twenty-four of these 

 digitules, each of which springs from the claw itself, the tarsus not exhibit- 

 ing any. All the digitules are knobbed. On the tarsus tbere are several 

 strong spines on the inner edge. The sheath of the penis and the penis 

 itself resemble those of 0. zcelandicum. The haltere (fig. 48) has an inflated 

 sac-like body diminishing to a cylindrical tube, from the extremity of which 

 spring four strong curved setae of no great length ; very frequently only 

 three are seen. The abdomen has several segments, and each segment 

 bears a number of short fine hairs springing from a minute tubercular base ; 

 the hairs are intermixed with numerous circular spots, as in C. zcelandicum, 



