﻿231 
  

  

  REMARKS 
  ON 
  A 
  SMALL 
  COLLECTION 
  OF 
  COCCIDAE 
  FROM 
  

  

  NORTHERN 
  AUSTRALIA. 
  

  

  By 
  E. 
  Ernest 
  Green, 
  F.E.S. 
  

  

  The 
  material 
  under 
  consideration 
  was 
  collected 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  F. 
  Hill, 
  Government 
  

   Entomologist, 
  at, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of, 
  Port 
  Darwin, 
  in 
  the 
  Northern 
  Territory 
  

   of 
  Australia. 
  It 
  consists 
  principally 
  of 
  cosmopolitan 
  species, 
  two 
  only 
  being 
  peculiar 
  

   to 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  Aspidiotus 
  (ChrysomphaJus) 
  fodiens, 
  Mask. 
  

  

  " 
  On 
  Pithecolobium 
  moniWerum 
  ; 
  Darwin, 
  N. 
  T., 
  1. 
  ii. 
  1914." 
  

  

  The 
  insects 
  are 
  densely 
  massed 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  occur 
  — 
  

   though 
  not 
  in 
  quite 
  such 
  large 
  numbers 
  — 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  surface 
  also. 
  Male 
  and 
  female 
  

   puparia 
  are 
  mingled 
  together 
  in 
  approximately 
  equal 
  numbers. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  no 
  hesitation 
  in 
  determining 
  this 
  insect 
  as 
  fodiens, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  remarkable 
  

   that 
  the 
  infested 
  leaves 
  show 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  pitting 
  " 
  described 
  by 
  Maskell 
  

   as 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  which 
  derives 
  its 
  name, 
  indeed, 
  from 
  this 
  very 
  pecu- 
  

   liarity. 
  All 
  the 
  structural 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  itself 
  are 
  in 
  close 
  agreement 
  both 
  

   with 
  Maskell's 
  somewhat 
  loose 
  diagnosis 
  and 
  with 
  Leonardos 
  more 
  careful 
  description 
  

   (said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  drawn 
  up 
  from 
  typical 
  examples). 
  Maskell's 
  figures 
  are 
  unfor- 
  

   tunately 
  quite 
  unreliable, 
  the 
  different 
  parts 
  being 
  represented 
  out 
  of 
  all 
  due 
  

   proportion 
  to 
  each 
  other. 
  But 
  one 
  character 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  particularly 
  draws 
  attention 
  

   (even 
  exaggerating 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  figure) 
  is 
  a 
  strongly 
  developed 
  acuminate 
  marginal 
  

   prominence 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  pygidium, 
  just 
  outside 
  the 
  last 
  fimbriate 
  squame. 
  

   This 
  prominence 
  is 
  particularly 
  well 
  marked 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  examples 
  (vide 
  fig. 
  1). 
  

   Leonardi's 
  figure 
  — 
  otherwise 
  admirable 
  — 
  does 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  accentuate 
  this 
  feature. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  Aspidiotus 
  fodiens, 
  Mask. 
  ; 
  pygidium 
  of 
  adult 
  female, 
  x 
  600. 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that 
  these 
  specimens 
  are 
  not 
  associated 
  with 
  depressions 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  upon 
  

   which 
  they 
  rest 
  is 
  of 
  no 
  specific 
  importance. 
  The 
  phenomenon 
  is 
  probably 
  dependent 
  

   upon 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  involved. 
  Maskell's 
  typical 
  examples 
  of 
  

   fodiens 
  were 
  occupying 
  depressions 
  in 
  the 
  leaf 
  of 
  an 
  undetermined 
  species 
  of 
  Acacia. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  a 
  similar 
  difference 
  in 
  habit 
  with 
  Aspidiotus 
  pulearius, 
  in 
  Ceylon, 
  

   a 
  species 
  which 
  is 
  associated 
  with 
  still 
  more 
  pronounced 
  pits 
  when 
  occurring 
  on 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  Strobilanthes 
  viscosus, 
  while 
  the 
  same 
  insect 
  attacks 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Strobi- 
  

   lanthes 
  without 
  any 
  such 
  result. 
  

  

  Aspidiotus 
  fodiens 
  is 
  known 
  from 
  Australia 
  only. 
  

   (C86) 
  c2 
  

  

  