﻿Maskell. 
  — 
  O71 
  some 
  Coccidse 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  215 
  

  

  specimens 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  oLtaiued 
  from 
  Canterbury, 
  WelHngton, 
  and 
  Auck- 
  

   land, 
  although 
  taken 
  at 
  different 
  seasons, 
  in 
  October, 
  July, 
  February, 
  March, 
  

   and 
  April, 
  show 
  only 
  two 
  forms. 
  The 
  one 
  is 
  the 
  young 
  insect 
  before 
  it 
  

   becomes 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  test 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  apparently 
  an 
  intermediate 
  stage 
  

   prior 
  to 
  appearance 
  as 
  a 
  perfect 
  insect. 
  In 
  July, 
  on 
  fronds 
  of 
  Fuhjpodium 
  

   billardieri, 
  I 
  have 
  collected 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  empty 
  tests, 
  and 
  intermixed 
  

   with 
  them 
  tests 
  with 
  enclosed 
  insects. 
  It 
  might 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  this 
  fact 
  

   points 
  to 
  the 
  emergence 
  of 
  insects 
  in 
  the 
  perfect 
  state 
  leaving 
  thek 
  pupa- 
  

   cases 
  behind 
  them. 
  But 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  cases 
  contained 
  the 
  pupas 
  or 
  the 
  

   remains 
  of 
  the 
  pupae 
  of 
  parasitic 
  flies, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  equally 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  

   scale-insect 
  had 
  been 
  devoured. 
  I 
  hope 
  to 
  obtain, 
  ere 
  long, 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   other 
  stages 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  ; 
  meanwhile, 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  

   stages 
  vv^hich 
  I 
  have 
  observed, 
  it 
  differs 
  considerably 
  from 
  any 
  other 
  genus, 
  

   I 
  shall 
  proceed 
  to 
  describe 
  it. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Lecanio-diaspid^ 
  the 
  test 
  does 
  not 
  entirely 
  enclose 
  the 
  insect, 
  

   which 
  is, 
  on 
  the 
  underside, 
  free. 
  Ctenochiton 
  viridis, 
  which 
  I 
  described 
  in 
  

   my 
  last 
  paper, 
  becomes 
  in 
  its 
  later 
  stages 
  closely 
  attached 
  to 
  its 
  test, 
  aiid 
  

   in 
  its 
  last 
  form 
  of 
  all 
  enveloped 
  in 
  a 
  cottony 
  mass. 
  But 
  this 
  last 
  takes 
  place 
  

   when 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  practically 
  dead, 
  or 
  dying 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  

   that 
  the 
  white 
  mass 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  usual 
  cottony 
  web 
  of 
  the 
  Coccidas 
  but 
  

   fungoid. 
  Asterochiton, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  in 
  the 
  specimens 
  I 
  have 
  seen, 
  is 
  

   entirely 
  shut 
  up 
  in 
  its 
  test 
  ; 
  even 
  the 
  feet 
  are 
  useless 
  to 
  it, 
  being 
  enclosed. 
  

   All 
  that 
  emerges 
  is 
  the 
  mentum 
  with 
  its 
  suctorial 
  setse 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  this 
  which 
  

   prevents 
  me 
  from 
  considering 
  the 
  insect 
  as 
  being 
  in 
  a 
  pupa 
  state. 
  If 
  it 
  

   were 
  a 
  pupa 
  I 
  imagine 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  require 
  to 
  feed, 
  and 
  the 
  mentum 
  

   would 
  be 
  enclosed 
  like 
  the 
  other 
  organs. 
  

  

  This 
  genus, 
  I 
  may 
  observe, 
  cannot 
  well 
  belong 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  those 
  described 
  

   by 
  M. 
  Signoret, 
  under 
  his 
  subdivision 
  Lecanio-diaspidse, 
  such 
  as 
  PolUnia, 
  

   Asterolecanium, 
  as 
  in 
  those 
  the 
  young 
  insect 
  has 
  the 
  abdomen 
  ending 
  in 
  

   two 
  protruding 
  tubercles, 
  which 
  in 
  this 
  genus 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  

  

  1. 
  AsterocJiiton 
  lecanioides, 
  sp. 
  nov. 
  

  

  Plate 
  VII., 
  fig. 
  17. 
  

  

  Common 
  near 
  Christchnrch, 
  on 
  Pittosporam 
  eugenioides 
  and 
  Pohjpodium 
  

   billardieri. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  insect 
  is 
  extremely 
  minute, 
  and 
  requires 
  great 
  care 
  to 
  mount. 
  

   It 
  is 
  oval 
  (plate 
  VII, 
  fig. 
  17a), 
  greenish 
  gray 
  in 
  colour, 
  the 
  outline 
  smooth, 
  

   with 
  the 
  four 
  spiracular 
  spines 
  of 
  the 
  Lecanidse 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  are 
  

   six 
  long 
  hairs, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  two 
  middle 
  ones 
  are 
  the 
  longest. 
  The 
  eyes 
  are 
  

   red, 
  comparatively 
  large, 
  granular, 
  and 
  set 
  somewhat 
  far 
  back; 
  the 
  anal 
  

   marks 
  resemble 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  adult. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  out 
  the 
  

   antenna 
  and 
  feet, 
  

  

  