THE COCCIDAE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 17 



212. Protopulvinaria piriformis (Ckll), Lefroy. (Plate ii, fig. 2U ; iv, fig. 248.) 



Pulvinaria {Protopulvinaria) pyriformis, Ckll., Jl. Trin. Nat. Club, i, p. 309, 1894. 



Pulvinaria {Protopulvinaria) pyriformis, Ckll., Jl. Trin. Nat. Club, ii, p. 307, 1896. 



Pulvinaria newsteadi, Leon., Riv. Pat. Veg. vi, p. 279, 1898. 



Pulvinaria pyriformis, Ckll., Psyche, viii, p. 311, 1899. 



Protopulvinaria pyriformis, Lefroy, Scale Ins. Lesser Antilles, p. 43, 1901. 



Pulvinaria pyriformis, Fernald, Cat., p. 138, 1902. 



Pulvinaria plana, Ldgr., Jahrb. Hamb. Wiss. Anst. xxxiii, p. 34, 1911. 



Protopulvinaria piriformis, Ldgr., Die Schildlause, p. 199, 1912. 



Ovisac slightly larger than the body of the adult 5, from which it extends as a 

 uniform ring around the margins (fig. 348). Ova pale greenish white, regularly oval. 



Adult 9 about 3 mm. long and about as broad slightly behind the middle ; 

 broadly rounded behind, suddenly narrowing in front so as to be short pear-shaped 

 or drop-shaped. The margins of the body are flat ; the central part is flatly rounded. 

 In living specimens the general body colour is yellowish or pinkish with the margins 

 reddish brown. The subdorsal area is irregularly suffused with mauve or violet. 

 The anal cleft is deep, extending almost to the centre of the body, but the sides are 

 in close proximity, so that the posterior margin in most cases appears uniformly 

 broadly rounded. The anal plates are very long and very narrow and are brownish 

 in colour. Dead, dry specimens are pale to deep brown according to age. When 

 stained, cleared and mounted the following characters may be noted : — 



Antennae 7-jointed ; range in ju : (1) 27-31, (2) 37-44, (3) 44-51, (4) 51-54, (5) 

 20-24, (6) 20-24, (7) 51-54. 



Leg I : coxa 75, femur -f trochanter 170, tibia 109, tarsus 54, claw 20//. 



Leg II : coxa 99, femur -f trochanter 180, tibia 112, tarsus 68, claw 24/^. 



Anal plates very long (470//) and narrow (fig. 244). 



Marginal spines short, thin, with ends deeply branched, or occasionally bifid 

 from base, in a close-set series. Stigmatic spines 3, laterals short and acute, median 

 two or three times as long. Young form, about 1*2 mm. long, oval, translucent, 

 appearing faintly greenish yellow, with six deep purple lines radiating from median 

 area to margin, the four posterior being nearer together than the anterior two. 



Habitat : On undersides of leaves of avocado pear {Persea gratissima) ; collected 

 by A. Kelly, Pietermaritzburg, April 1916. 



Collection No. : 77. 



Genus Pulvinaria, Targ. 

 " Adult female resembUng Lecanium in the early stages and until the commence- 

 ment of oviposition, when a loose cottony ovisac is secreted from below the posterior 

 extremity of the insect, for the protection of the eggs. The body of the insect is 

 tilted up during the formation of the ovisac, and often becomes much shrivelled 

 and distorted, finally remaining as a small shapeless scale at the anterior extremity 

 of the mass of ovisac. It is sometimes rendered still more inconspicuous by the 

 partial overlapping of the secretionary matter, but is never completely enveloped. 

 In all purely structural characters there is nothing to distinguish species of this genus 

 (681) B 



