264 Pulvinaria. 
PULVINARIA PSIDII, Maskel/. 
(PLATE C.) 
Pulvinaria psidiz, Mask., N.Z. Trans., Vol. XXV. p. 223 (1892). 
Adult female (igs. 1, 3) at first ovoid ; moderately convex above ; afterwards 
much shrivelled and contracted ; elevated behind by the mass of eggs and 
enveloping secretion. Colour green, more or less obscured by a white, powdery 
secretion ; median area becoming brownish with age, the whole scale turning 
brown after death. Eyes back, conspicuous during life. Anal operculum dark 
brown. After gestation, a mass of white cotton-like matter is secreted from the 
ventral area and pushed out from the margin. The insect then rests on a 
cottony cushion (fg: 3) which projects on all sides, and is eventually recurved 
over the margin. Ovisac profuse, highly convex, white, cottony, with an incon- 
spicuous median furrow. Derm cells (fg. 15) large, approximate, irregularly 
oval or circular ; usually conspicuous in preparations from fresh material, but 
often very indistinct and difficult to demonstrate in old, dried material. 
Antenne (zg. 13) eight-jointed, third joint longest. Usual formula: 3, 2 (4, 5), 
(1, 8), 6, 7 ; but in some examples the fourth is markedly shorter than the fifth. 
Legs well developed, tarsus about two-thirds length of tibia; foot (zg. 14) with 
four digitules, the tarsals stout and dilated at extremity. Margin (jg. 12) 
closely set with stout hairs, which are strongly dilated and dentate at extremity.* 
Stigmatic cleft with three stout spines, of which the median is much the longest, 
curved and projecting beyond the margin. Valves of anal operculum (gs. 
6-11) variable in form and relative proportions of base and outer edge, but the 
base is usually the shorter. This variation is noticeable even in individuals 
from the same communities, and is particularly marked in some examples from 
myrtle, of which no two individuals were identical in this particular. /zgs. 
10 and II represent the extremes of this series. Anogenital ring with eight 
hairs. Length of insect averaging 3 to 3'50 mm., but exceptionally large 
examples have reached 5 mm. Ovisac measuring 4°50 to 7 mm. in length. 
Some examples from myrtle, while showing all the structural characters of the 
type, were exceptionally small, the adult insect measuring only 2 mm. in length 
with a correspondingly small ovisac. 
Immature female (fg. 16) more elongate, and with stigmatic indentations 
more marked. Sometimes mottled with olive brown on discal area. In its 
earlier stages the insect bears a superficial resemblance to Lecanium viride, 
from which it may be distinguished by the absence of the dark intestinal loop. 
Male unknown in Ceylon, though said to occur amongst examples from the 
Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere. 
* In his original diagnosis of the species, Maskell makes no mention of this character, but 
describes the margin as set with ‘spiny hairs.’ But typical examples received direct from his 
collection have markedly dilated and dentate hairs, and Ceylon examples submitted to the 
author of the species were accepted by him as pszdzz. 
