£J"o t J t Notes on Cocoanut Palm Coccida, 67 



Essai surles Cochenilles, p. 94 : Annales de la Societe entornologique 



de France, 1868, p. 120. Figs. 1—4. 

 Female puparium really round and white in colour, but berno* ao-ore- 

 orated in masses on the leaf with very numerous yellow pellicles and 

 much dust and fluff : the general appearance of the mass is brownish 

 yellow: the secreted portion of the puparium is very thin, delicate and 

 translucent : pellicles central, yellow, transparent. 



Male puparium similar to that of the female and aggregated with it 

 in the general mass, so that it is difficult to indicate any particular 

 features, except of course that only a single pellicle is visible in it, the 

 female puparium having as usual two. 



Adult females yellow, darkening with age; length about one-fiftieth 

 of an inch pegtop-shaped, shrivelling at gestation. Abdomen ending 

 in six lobes, of which the two median are shorter and smaller than the 

 next lobe at each side of them : between the lobes and for a short distance 

 beyond on the margin, are a number of scaly serrated and forked hairs : 

 four groups of spinnerets with from eight to ten orifices in each : many 

 single dorsal spinnerets. The rostral setas appear to be often excessively 

 long. 



Adult male brownish yellow, very small and delicate: length about 

 one-sixtieth of an inch. Form normal. Antennas of ten joints. The anal 

 spike is rather long. 



Habitat — on cocoanut, date, and other palm trees, and on Goyaeries 

 psidium : Isle de la Reunion and Laccadive Islands, and probably else- 

 where in the tropics. Dr. Signoret states that about 1868 the cocoanuts 

 of Reunion were " threatened with total destruction " by this insect. 



The proportionate smallness of the two median abdominal lobes in the 

 female is a distinguishing character of the species. Dr. Signoret was 

 not able to find a male amongst the specimens sent to him. 



From the folded and closely pressed form of the cocoanut leaves which 

 I have seen, I should imagine that it would be far from easy to proceed 

 against A. destructor by ordinary methods of spraying: but 1 am not 

 sufficiently acquainted with the habit of the trees to express a decided 

 opinion, and there may possibly be facilities for other remedial measures. 

 Description of Figure. — 1, aggregation of male and female puparia, 

 male with oue pellicle, female with two (the insects are removed) ; 2, 

 adult females, a before gestation, b after gestation; 3, Pygidium of 

 female (after Signoret) ; 4> adult male. 



e a 



