2l8 L 



ecannnce. 



LECANIUM ACUTISSIMUM, Green. 



(Plate LXXVIII.) 



Lee. aciitissimjim. Green, ' Catalogue of CoccidEe, Ind. Miis. Notes, Vol. IV. 



No. I (1896). 



Adult 9 {Jigs. I, 3, 4, 5) long and narrow, acutely pointed at each end, (of the 

 form of a carraway seed) ; convex above. Colour varying from creamy-white 

 in the early adult to deep chocolate-brown in older examples {fig. 3). Inter- 

 mediate stages ochreous with a median reddish stripe {fig. 5), and bright 

 castaneous. There is always a pale ochreous patch immediately anterior to the 

 anal valve. Eyes black, visible only in the paler forms. There is a well- 

 defined but narrow thin marginal zone, more apparent when viewed from 

 below {fig. 4). Stigmatic cleft small and inconspicuous. A single slender 

 stigmatic spine in each cleft with— on each side of it — a minute chitinous 

 tubercle or rudimentary spine {fig. 6). Marginal hairs simple, slender, finely 

 pointed. Submarginal tubercles eight on each side ; conspicuous on early adult. 

 Two longitudinal series of minute blunt spines {fig. 12) on 'the subdorsal area. 

 Scales of anal operculum {fig. 7) with outer edge considerably longer than 

 base. Limbs closely adpressed to the body, very small and inconspicuous. 

 Antenna {fig. 8) with the two basal joints only distinguishable ; lighter trans- 

 verse marks faintly apparent in some examples suggest an original division into 

 six (or possibly seven) joints ; a few longish hairs at extremity. Legs minute, 

 but relatively stout ; tibio-femoral and tibio-tarsal articulations distinguishable 

 only in anterior pair {fig. 9) ; in second and third pairs {figs. 10, 11) a slight 

 constriction indicates the division between femor and tibia, but tibio-tarsal 

 division quite indistinguishable. Claw minute ; digitules usually wanting ; 

 occasionally one (rarely two) can be demonstrated {fig. 11). Derm with 

 minute scattered translucent pores on the median dorsal area ; and large 

 suboval, subcircular, or irregular cells on submarginal zone, becoming elongate 

 and linear at margin {fig. 6). Length 5 to 6 mm. Breadth i to vc,o mm. 



Male unknown. 



Eggs not observed. The older females are concave below {fig. 4), and 

 usually cover a few living larvre. 



Young larva {fig. 2) elongate, very pale green. 



Habitat on Cocos nucifera (cocoanut palm) ; Areca catechu and A. triandra; 

 Cycas sp. ; Piper nigruvi (pepper) ; Nepheliian litchi ; Mangifera indica 

 (mango) ; Litsea zeylanica; Miisa paradisaica (banana), and various other 

 trees, shrubs, and plants. Usually on under surface of the leaves. Pundaluoya, 

 Kandy, Colombo. Peculiar to Ceylon. 



