No. 1. ] Original Communication. 7 



times absent, in which case the number of joints is reduced to six : 

 several longish hairs on terminal joint, and one or two on each of 

 the others. Legs well developed, rather slender : feet normal. Stig- 

 matic clefts (fig. 5) semicircular, with 3 longish straight cylindrical 

 spines with bluntly rounded tips, attached to dorsal surface, the 

 median spine longest. Marginal hairs minute and inconspicuous, 

 simple, pointed. Anal plates (fig. 4) narrow : base very short : outer 

 edge sharply rounded towards extremity : inner edge straight. Anal 

 ring with 6 hairs. Size of average example 7x5 mm. 



Male scale and adult male unknown. 



Habitat on stems and twigs of the tea plant : Assam. 



11. Lecanium hemisph3sricum ) Targ. var. coffese, Walk., L. coffeze, 

 occurs commonly on the teaplant in Ceylon, and doubtless so also 

 in India. Dr. Watt's collection contains examples from Upper Assam, 

 associated with Ceroplastes myricx. The specimens under examina- 

 tion have been attacked, and mostly destroyed, by a parasitic fungus 

 which appears to belong to the genus Aschersonia erected by Weber 

 for a fungus parasitic upon a species of Aleurodes in America. The 

 scales are covered and entirely concealed by a buff -coloured growth. 



12. Pulvinaria floccijera, Westw. (plate 2, figs. 6-y). — On 

 undersurface of leaves of Acalypka from Calcutta. 



This species bears a very close resemblance to Pulv. camellicola, 

 Sign., having a long narrow snowy white ovisac which makes it a 

 conspicuous object on the dark Acalypha leaves (fig. 6). But Signo- 

 ret distinctly states that his species has 6-jointed antennae, the 3rd 

 joint being very long. P. fioccifera has 8-jointed antennae ; none 

 of them exceptionally long. 



In a recent paper by Drs. Berlese and Leonardi,* there are 

 several figures of P. camellicola in different stages, and one showing 

 the antenna of the adult female, which is there represented with 8- 

 joints. This is either a case of mistaken identification, or the 

 number of joints must be variable. Possibly the 3rd, 4th and 5th 

 joints may sometimes become fused into the single long joint de- 

 scribed by Signoret. Under these circumstances, I think it very 

 probable that Westwood and Signoret may have described the one 

 species under the two names. As Westwood described P. floccifera 

 in 1870 (Gardener's Chronicle, 1870, p. 308, fig. 52), while Signoret's 

 description of P. camellicola is dated 1873, the former name would 

 have precedence. 



* Annalidi Agricoltura, 1898. " Notizie intorno alle Cocciniglie Americane 

 cho minacciano la FruUicoltura Europea." 



