66 R. NEWSTEAD — SCALE INSECTS (COCCID.e) ETC. 



because the anal orifice is placed near the end o£ the body and not ^' in the 

 middle o£ the back'"' (Cockerell), as in all stages of the female in S. sjostedti, 

 the type of the genus, and as one finds also in the larva described as the 

 female stage of S. dimorphus. 



All the representatives of this genus are so far confined to the African 

 continent. S. sJOstedti, Cockerell, and S. formicarius, Newst., have a 

 Western and South-western distribution, while *S'. multispinosus, Newst., and 

 S. dimorplius^ Newst., are from the Eastern side of the continent. The first 

 and last named of these are of some economic importance as pests of the 

 Cacao ; but I have little or no information as to the exact nature of the injury 

 caused by them to the plants which they infest. One may add, however, 

 that a small cacao pod which was forwarded from Uganda was almost com- 

 pletely covered by the adult females of S. dimorphus^ so that one may rightly 

 assume that the fruit must have been injured by the insects to some extent. 

 Unfortunately, the specimens arrived in very poor condition, and it is to be 

 hoped that more perfect examples in all stages may be forthcoming. One 

 looks forward also with no little interest to the discovery of the adult male 

 and its puparium. 



[When the cacao pod, sent home by Mr. Gowdey, reached England, two 

 small cocoons were found on the paper in which it was wrapped. From one 

 of these emerged a small Noctuid moth, which has been identified by 

 Sir George Hampson as Eahlemma costlmacida, Saalm., of the subfamily 

 Erastriin.e. It is well known that some moths of this subfamily feed in the 

 larval stage upon CocciD^, and it seems highly probable that in this case 

 the Stidococcus had served as the food of the larvae. In view of the possibility 

 that the Coccid may become a serious pest, the matter deserves further 

 attention. — Ed.] 



Ceroplastes ceriferus, Anderson. 



There is a slight tendency in these specimens to the formation of a short 

 dorsal keel or ridge in the adult females as in Ceroplastes ec/banim, Ckll. 

 In one old adult example this character is well defined ; in younger specimens 

 it is absent. Unfortunately, one cannot say if this character is at all constant, 

 as the series is much too small. In all other respects the examples are quite 

 typical. 



This insect may be distinguished at once from Ceroplastes africanus, Green, 

 by the presence of a long caudal or horn-like process at the posterior margin 

 and the absence of a broad flat extension in front. 



Mr. Gowdey states that in Uganda this species attacks (Joffee, Cacao, ^ 

 Agave, Canna, (/roton, Hibiscus, &c. On coffee it is said to occur in 

 sufficiently large quantities to be of economic importance. 



