8 PAPERS ON COCCID.E OR SCALE INSECTS. 



prove to be inadequate fifty years from now. The principal difii- 

 culty, however, was that many structural features of the insect were 

 not mentioned in the descriptions, and hence a systematic arrange- 

 ment from descriptions was impossible, or, if attempted, very faulty. 

 To give a standard for comparisons of descriptions, the writer has 

 drawn up a scheme to be followed which has proved to be a great 

 convenience. It at least insures that no important character is 

 omitted, and the discussion of the different parts in regular order 

 allows an easy comparison of the same characters for different species. 

 Card blanks have been prepared, and following the printed indi- 

 cations the descriptions can be made very readily in abbreviated 

 form and elaborated as fully as necessary for publication. These 

 cards, being of the same size (5 by 8 inches) as the standard note 

 card adopted by the Bureau, are filed as a permanent record. The 

 card illustrated below is designed especially for the diaspine scale 

 insects. Some modification of this card is necessary for the non- 

 diaspine species, and Mr. Sanders has worked out such a modifica- 

 tion, also illustrated. It is hoped that the describers of new species 

 of scale insects will follow the order indicated on these cards, so that 

 all future descriptions may be readily compared. 



Order folloived in describing DiaspincB. 

 Name: 



Female scale: (Size, shape, density, convexity, color, pellicles, ventral scale, 



situation, etc.). 

 Male scale: (Do.) Male insect : (Un»important). 



Adult female: (Shape, size, color, ch-itinization, anterior and marginal char- 

 acters, stigmatic pores — if present, relationship). 

 Anal plate : ( Shape, size, color, chitinization, etc. ) . 



Lobe: (No., size, shape, chitinization, position, etc.). 

 Lateral teeth: (Anterior to lobes and plates). 

 Incisions: (i. e., notches between lobes). 



Paeaphyses : (Chitinous thickenings at base of lobes and sometimes mar- 

 ginal beyond lobes). 

 Plates: (No., character, situation). 



Spines: (Position same for all species, as a rule unimportant). 

 Anal opening: (Size, shape, position). Genital opening: (Unim- 



portant). 

 Pabagenitals : (No., massed or scattering, etc.). 

 Dorsal pores: (No., size, distribution, etc.). 

 Basal thickenings: (Transverse, broken, rod-like elevations near base of 



plate — dorsal). 

 Ventral thickenings: (Broad areas of slight chitinization extending from 

 tip and longitudinal i-idges laterad of vaginal opening). 

 Type: (Dept. No., U. S. Nat. Mus. No., host, locality, coll., date). 

 Note: (Prominent distinguishing characters, relationships, etc.). 



