Lecaniince. 195 



LECANIUM ACUMINATUM, Signoret. 



(Plate LXVII.) 



Lee, aaiminatum. Sign. Essaistir les Cochenilles, 1873, p. 397 (227), PL XII. ^f^. i. 



Adult 9 {fig. i) very pale green; flat, pointed in front, broadly rounded 

 behind; broadest across a line cutting the anal scales. Eyes small, lateral. 

 Antennse rather small ; number and length of joints variable ; normally with 

 six joints, of which the third is much the longest, as long as the terminal three 

 together (y^. 6); sometimes with a more or less complete joint cutting off a 

 distal portion of the third, when the antenna becomes seven-jointed, with the 

 third joint still the longest (yf^. 5): sometimes with the extra joint nearer the 

 base of the normal third, forming a seven-jointed antenna with the fourth joint 

 longest {fig. 7). Legs rather large, especially the second and third pairs, which 

 have abnormally large coxse {fig. 4). Tarsus very short, less than half length 

 of tibia. Tibia and tarsus together shorter than united femur and trochanter. 

 Marginal hairs {fig. 3) very closely set, each surmounting a conspicuous chiti- 

 nous tubercle, the extremities deeply divided into four or five divergent points. 

 Submarginal tubercles, four to six on each side. Stigmatic spines three, the 

 median one long, curved, and pointed ; the others very short {fig. 3). Skin of 

 dorsum with small inconspicuous ill-defined circular pores, and some scattered 

 minute spines. Scales of anal operculum {fig. 2) somewhat rounded behind ; 

 base considerably longer than outer edge ; five small pores at apex of each 

 scale. Length 3 to 3-25 mm. Breadth, at widest part, 2 to 2-50 mm. 



Male not observed. 



Habitat — on leaves oijasminum sp. Pundaluoya ; May. 



I think I am justified in my identification of this insect as acuminatum of 

 Signoret. Signoret's description, which I append in full, does not enter into 

 minute detail upon such points as the marginal hairs or anal scales, but, 

 as far as it goes, it agrees very closely with my Ceylon insect. Signoret 

 writes : — 



' Cette esp^ce est facile k distinguer par la forme de son corps ovale 

 court, acuminee vers le sommet, arrondi, trfes-large vers I'extremite. Les 

 antennes sont de sept articles avec le quatrieme le plus long, le troisifeme 

 egal aux cinquieme et sixifeme r^unis, ceux-ci les plus courts, le septi^me 

 aussi long que les deux precedents. Les pattes, larges, aplaties ofifrent un 

 tarse court, k peine de moitie aussi long que le tibia ; le reste comme dans les 

 Lecaniimi en general. La longueur est de 2 and 3 millimetres.' 



The type was described from examples found in greenhouses in France. 

 It will be observed that the form of the body and the size of the leg, with its 

 unusually short tarsus, are in complete agreement with the description. The 

 seven-jointed antenna with the long fourth joint, occurs as one of the variations 

 {fig 7) in the antenna! forrnula of my insect. 



DD 



