28 



the Division of Entomology of the Department of Agriculture to the 

 eminent and well-known English Ooccidologist, Mr. J. W. Douglas, of 

 Londou, England, for his opinion. He kindly examined them and pro- 

 nounced them to be very different from persicce and to form an unde- 

 scribed species. 



The life history of this scale has to some extent been studied by Miss 

 Mary Murtfeldt, of Kirkwood, Mo., and is herewith reproduced from 

 Bull. No. 32, Div. of Entom. U. S. Dept. of Agr., 1894 (pages 42 and 43). 



On May 2, my attention was called by a friend to a young Lombard plum in bis 

 garden, which exbibited tbe worst case of attack yet seen — probably the unchecked 

 development of several seasons. Tbe twigs and smaller brancbes were absolutely 

 incrusted on all sides witb tbe Coccids, presenting *o otber than entomological eyes, 

 a repulsive spectacle. Even at tbis late date segregation bad not taken place. By 

 tbe 20tb of tbe month, however, tbe eggs were fully formed and every scale was 

 crowded witb tbem. Tbe egg is broad, oblong in form, 0.5 mm in lengtb, pale yellow 

 in color, and in the mass quite free and granular. Hatching began June 10 and con- 

 tinued for nearly a month. The young larvae were the largest species yet observed, 

 very flat, uniformly pale yellow, the carapace being 

 indicated by a very thin lateral rim. The legs were 

 rather long and well developed. Antennae five or six 

 jointed, one-half the length of the body. By July 15 

 hatching was completed, and in the meantime, those 

 first hatched, of which a part were separated and kept 

 on fresh twigs in the rearing jar, had nearly all become 

 stationary on the leaves and transformed to male pupae. 

 Twigs brought me from the tree at this date had the 

 foliage covered with the young in all stages, the ma- 

 jority being still in a state of great activity, resembling 

 in general appearance and in the peculiar wavy motion 

 Fig. lO.-Lecanium nigrofas- when crawli ng a myriad of small Tingitids. The sexes 

 datum: antenna at left: leg were undistinguishable. Tbe mature larval scale is 

 at right— much enlarged about 2 mm in length, slightly convex, of a translucent 

 (original). greenish- white color. Two converging carinas inclose a 



narrow flat dorsal space, from which a border, divided 

 into six or seven panes, by similar, though finer, opaque, white ridges, slopes 

 slightly on all sides. Under the scales, which were stationary, and which in no 

 respect differed from those that were still moving about over leaves and twigs, were 

 found male pupae entirely detached and displaying wing pads and other members as 

 seen in nymphae of the higher Hemiptera. 



On the 22d of July winged males appeared in the rearing jar, the pupal period 

 being about one week. In this stage, also, the insect is beautiful, with filmy, 

 iridescent wings expanding 4 mm ; body rose red, with some dark brown shadings 

 about the head and tip of the abdomen, and an especially distinct, dark-brown, 

 transverse thoracic band. August 10 hundreds of winged males, fresh pupae, and 

 active larvae were still found on the leaves. The act of copulation did not come 

 under my eye, although the winged forms continually fluttered over those that 

 were crawling. The life of the male seems to be of about a week's duration. My 

 observations on this insect were interrupted by absence from home from the middle 

 of the month until the 5th of September, when I found that the males had disap- 

 peared and that the females had attached themselves to the bark of such twigs as 

 still retained a measure of vigor. The scales were about one-half grown, had dark- 

 ened, thickened, and become centrally elevated. As in all scales, growth by the 

 exudation of waxy material around the margin was slowly progressing. At the 



1 



