Le(aniin(?. 209 



LECANIUM ANTIDESM^, Green. 



(Plate LXXIII.) 



Lee. atitidesmcE, Green, Ind. Mus. Notes, Vol. IV. No. I (1896). 



Adult ? {fig. 2), flat above, slightly tumescent below, with a cavity behind 

 abdomen for reception of eggs ; irregularly oval, no stigmatic clefts. Colour 

 dark purplish brown paling at margins. Dorsal surface covered with a thin greyish 

 powdery film. A submarginal dorsal series of about twenty-four short, fine, 

 opaque, white, cottony filaments springing from glandular spots. Skin opaque, 

 thickly sprinkled with small irregular oblong pale spots in more or less definite 

 groups, and some small round translucent pores marking the interspaces 

 between the groups. Glandular marginal spots {fig. 3) dark in a pale area, with 

 twelve or more translucent orifices. Stigmatic spines {fig. 6) three, small, mar- 

 ginal. Marginal hairs pointed, rather long and stout. Submarginal tubercles three 

 or four on each side; inconspicuous. Scales of anal operculum {fig. 5) small, base 

 equal to outer edge, outer angle obtuse. Anal cleft extending nearly one-third 

 length of insect. Anal ring with six hairs. Eyes inconspicuous. Antenna 

 Lfig- 7) with eight joints, third longest ; antennal formula ; 3, 8 (2, 4, 5), i (6, 7). 

 Foot {fig. 4) with the usual four digitules. Tarsus two-thirds length of tibia. 

 Length 375 mm. Breadth 275 mm. 



Eggs pale green. 



No other stages observed. 



Described from a single specimen found on under surface of leaf of 

 Aniidesma bimiiis. Pundaluoya, December, 1893. 



(Other examples, subsequently found in Kandy, are of a more deltoid form, 

 with broadly rounded angles, narrowed in front. The filmy dorsal co\ering 

 broken up into polygonal plates of thin brittle wax.) 



The only other species of Lecaniiim known to possess such a series of 

 glandular marginal spots is L. patersonice, Mask.; but that insect differs in having 

 distinct longitudinal and transverse ridges, and has only seven joints in the 

 antenn£e. Otherwise the description of patersonicc agrees very closely with my 

 Ceylon insect. I have not had an opportunity of examining the Australian 

 species. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE LXXIII. 



LECANIUM ANTIDESMi*;. 



Fig. I. Leaf of .<4«/zVifej;«a, with insect, nat. size. 



2. Adult female, dorsal view, x 10. 



3. Part of margin showing dermal cells and glandular spot. 



4. Foot. 



5. Anal operculum, x 150. 



6. Stigmatic spines and marginal hairs, 



7. Antenna. 



