Maskell. — On New Zealand Coccidas. 143 



therefore no hesitation in considering it as new, even without seeing the 

 adult female. As regards the stage last described, which is certainly not 

 the male pupa, I have been in some doubt. The specimens were found 

 amongst several hundred male puparia ; but there were only five or six of 

 them to be seen, though I made diligent search. A very similar form is 

 found amongst male puparia of (7. zoelandicum — so similar indeed that, 

 except in colour, the two are almost identical. In my paper of 1879 

 (Trans., vol. xii., p. 296), I described, or rather alluded to, this form as the 

 second stage of the female C. zaUandicum. I afterwards discovered the 

 error and corrected it in vol. xiv. Unless this form be the second stage of 

 the male insect I do not know what it can be ; but if it is, then the male of 

 Colostoma must pass through more transformations than any other Coccid. 

 The normal stages are — 1, the egg; 2, the young larva (identical, or nearly 

 so, for male and female) ; 3, the pupa ; 1, the perfect insect. Now, the 

 form under consideration is certainly not the pupa, and equally certainly 

 not the young larva just hatched ; it is neither the egg nor the perfect 

 male. Similarly (in C. zalandicvm) it is not the larva, nor the adult, nor 

 the second stage. It would seem therefore that the insects of this genus 

 pass through a transformation more than other Coccids. There is one 

 point to be noted. I have observed above that in this form the antennaa 

 have nine joints, and the tibia? are twice as long as the tarsi. The first 

 character is conclusive against the insect being adult; the second character 

 is one which, in most Coccids, is considered to indicate an advanced stage. 

 M. Signoret (Ann. de la Soc. Entom. de France, 1871, p. 548, note) says : 

 " In studying the Coccidse it should be noted that almost always, when a 

 specimen is found with the tibia shorter than the tarsus, it is a larva." 

 The rule is not without exceptions, e.g. Kermes, Acantho coccus, etc. Still, it 

 holds good generally, and in this case shows, I think, clearly that the form 

 in question is by no means the first after the egg. I take it to be an inter- 

 mediate state preceding the pupa of the male. 



I am still puzzled by the absence of any sort of mouth. In the form 

 just mentioned there is an orifice between the second pair of legs, as in the 

 adult C. zalandicum, but nothing more. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATES I. AND II. 



Plate I. 



Pig. 1. Aspidiotus sophorce, abdomen of female . . . . . . . . X 90 



2. Fiarinia minima „ ,, .. .. .. .. ..X 100 



3. „ ,, diagram of female in puparium : a. 1st pellicle : 6.2nd 

 pellicle : c. adult female : d. secretion 



4. Fiorinia grossularice, abdomen of female . . . . . . . . X 50 



5. „ stricta, abdomen of female . . . . . . . . . . . . X 100 



6. ,, „ diagram of female in pnparium : a, 1st pellicle : b. 2nd 

 pellicle : c. adult female : d. secretion 



