178 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



other names have been proposed by different authors, which are 

 now put aside as synonyms. 



The West Indian species have never yet been studied, 

 although, in Jamaica, at least, they are fairly numerous. I 

 have up to the present time recognised seven, and doubtless 

 others remain to be discovered. 



(1.) Dactylopius virgatus, n. sp. 



2 • — 4:^ mm. long. Very white mealy brown above, except dark purplish 

 grey subdorsal stripes, which are broadly interrupted centrally. Caudal 

 filaments about 2 mm. long,- i. e., about half length of body. No obvious 

 lateral appendages. Segmentation distinct. Beneath whitish, legs pale 

 brown. The caudal filaments are rather slender, but not filiform like those 

 of 2). longifilis. The lateral appendages seem to be represented by long and 

 very fine hairs, which are obvious in the young, but are lost in the adult. 

 Very young individuals are pale yellow. Femur (of adult) about as long as 

 tibia; tibia about three times as long as tarsus. Antennae with eight joints, 

 — 3 and 8 subequal, or 8 a little longer ; 2 sensibly shorter than 3 ; 4 rather 

 longer than 5 ; 5, 6, and 7 about equal. 



$ . — Brown. Antennae brown ; all the joints with long hairs, — 3 longest, 

 longer than 1 and 2, decidedly longer than last ; 4 same length as 6 ; 5 a 

 very little shorter than 4 ; 7 decidedly shorter than 6, and slightly shorter 

 than 5 ; 8 same length as 7 ; 9 still shorter, but not quite so short as 1 ; 

 10 same length as 5. The second joint, which is about as long as 7 or 8, is 

 conspicuously enlarged, much thicker than the joints following. 



On a tree in East Street, Kingston, Jamaica, in enormous 

 numbers. The females, with their cast-off skins, covered the 

 whole under surface of the leaves, which turned yellow- and 

 dropped off. The leaves are ovate-acuminate, fleshy, entire; 

 stalks reddish, with some long spines, very glutinous. 



In June, other specimens were found on a fruit tree. These, 

 boiled in caustic soda, turned madder colour, and stained the 

 liquid claret colour ; but apparently this red staining, or most of 

 it, came not from the Coccids, but from a small fruit they were 

 on. Still, the insects themselves were afterwards seen to be 

 bright red. The eggs are minute, elongate, stained pale pinkish 

 after the soda treatment. In one of the individuals of this lot I 

 noticed a knobbed hair on the tibia. 



In addition to the form described above, I have found several 

 kinds of Dactylojnus, which I was at first disposed to regard as 

 distinct species or subspecies ; but, after comparing them with 

 D. virgatus, I do not think they can be separated, except as 

 mutations or varieties. 



(a.) Var. farinosus, ? . — Adult, resembles virgatus, but the dorsal 

 bands nearly obsolete ; in one example at least they are quite so, the whole 

 dorsal surface being covered by the white powder. Segmentation distinct. 

 The dorsum and sides emit fine hairs, some of them very long, but, as they 

 have no secretion on them, they are inconspicuous. The caudal filaments, 

 about half length of body, or shghtly less, are thickly covered with secretion. 

 There are no lateral processes. Length of body, about ^th inch. The legs 

 and antennae are pale brown. The female is active. Antennae with 3rd and 

 8th joints longest ; then 2. Joints 6 and 7 stouter than 5, and 5 stouter than 



