d 



(19.) Pinnaspts, Oockerell. The scales are brown or whitish and like Myiilmpis in shape, though 

 rather broader. The distinguishing character is afforded by the second skin, which is very large, and 

 covered by secretion. Species occur in Jamaica on cocoanut palm and bamboo. 



(20.) Chionaspis, Signoret. The female scale is elongate or broadly mussel-shaped, in nearly all 

 the species white, with darker exuviao The male scale is white and keeled, like that of Aulacaspis. 

 In one American species the male scale is not keeled, but this should probably be removed from the 



genus. . . p 1 1 mi 1 



(21.) Fiorinia, Targioni-Tozzetti. A species of this genus is found on cocoanut palm. The scale 



resembles Parlatoria but is more elongate, and the second skin, which is keeled, is so large as to leave 



nothing but a sort of fringe round the margin to represent the true scale. The first skin is placed at 



one end, and very evident. 



(22.) Ischnaspis, Douglas. The one species of this genus is common on palms, and may be easily 



recognised by its shape, being linear and black in colour. 



Aberrant genus, 



(23.) Conchaspis, new genus. I found this on a Madagascan orchid, Amjrcecum ehurneum var 

 virens, at Hope Gardens. The scale is about 1 millim. diameter, white, high conical, very much like 

 the shell Cali/ptrcea chinensis in miniature. The apex is a little to one side of the C3ntre. The insect 

 under the scale is something like a Diaspis superficially, but the structure, examined with a microscope, 

 is very peculiar, and there are legs, which is never the case with adults of Diaspinre, so far as yet known. 



Mr. L. O. Howard kindly gave me his opinion about it as follows : — 



" Your Conchaspis does not seem to belong to the Diaspime. The characters of the last segment 

 as well as the presence of antenna) and legs would place it in the Cocciiuv, and possibly in the Acan- 

 thococciiii, in which it would form a new genus. The scale resembles that of Iiujlisia although the 

 anal characters remove it from the Lecaniinoe, the antennae being apparently five-jointed." fin Hit., 

 Aug. 6, 1892.) 



The species will be described as Conchaspis angrceci. 



Jan. 12, 1893. 



FERNS : SYNOPTICAL LIST.— XV. 



Synoptical List, with Descriptions of the Ferns and em- Allies of Jamaica, hij G. S. Jenman, Superin 

 tendent Botanical Gardens, Demerara, ( continued from Bulletin, No. 38.^ 



Genus XIV. Pelloea. Link. 



Sori terminal on the veins, at first round and distinct, but soon becoming confluent, linear and 

 continuous, surrounding the margin ; involucres continuous, membranous or coriaceous, plain or un- 

 dulate ; fronds generally small, veins free. 



This genus differs chiefly from the preceding by the less divided fronds, the confluent sori making 

 a continuous line around the margin as in Pteris ; the ends of the veins, which are the receptacles, 

 being distinct, and not transversely connected as in the latter genus. 



1. P. geranicefolia. Fee. — Rootstock upright, fibrous, scaly ; stipites tufted, channelled, slender, 

 naked or the base slightly scaly, polished dark brown ; fronds chartaceons, naked, bright green, sub- 

 deltoid, palmatifid, subtripartite, 2-4 in. each way, upper part simply pinnatifid, rachis and costce ob- 

 scure above, prominent beneath but evanesent, polished blackish ; 1-2 or 3 central pinnae lobed or pin- 

 natifid, narrowed at the base and decurrent, lowest pair much the largest, with the lower side the deeper 

 and freely developed with subentire lobed or pinnatifid basal pinnula3 that vary from J-lf in. 1. and 

 2-6 li. W. ; final segments connected at the base, acutely pointed, 2-3 li. 1. 1^-2 li. w. ; veins free, forked, 

 evident in fresh fronds, rather obscure in dry : sori at first distinct, at length confluent forming a con- 

 tinuous marginal line, which barely falls short of the very tips of the segments ; involucres continuous, 

 narrow, membranous, undulate, turned back and concealed eventually by the matured sori. — Pteris 

 geraniifolia, Radd. Hook. Icon. PI, t. 915. Pteris concolor, Langs & Fisch. Ic. Fil. t. 21. 



Infrequent or rare ; gathered by Sloane in 1688 " between the town of Savanna and Twomile 

 Wood," and rediscovered in 1877 at the old mines, between Hope and Gordon Town, St. Andrew. A 

 widely spread species over the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, and long constantly 

 referred to Pteris owing to the confluence of the sori and obscurity of venation in dried specimens. It 

 has a general resemblance to Pteris pedata, but is distinguished by themoie copiously lobed parts, free 

 veins, and, at first, punctiform sori. The barren fronds are small with rounded lobes, and short slen- 

 der stipites. 



Genus XV. Plagiogyria, Kunze. 



Sori terminal on the forked horseshoe-shaped thickened ends of the veins, laterally confluent, 

 forming a linear, continuous marginal band; involucres continuous, involute and connivent over the sori 

 and costse, ultimately open ; sterile and fertile fronds distinct, pinnse of the latter contracted ; veins 

 free ; stipites dilated, fleshy and triquetrous at the base, possessing spongy glands. 



In the fertile ^fronds the veins are forked from the base, the branches diverging, and at their 

 apices they are again shortly forked with a pair of soriferous venules, which together are horseshoe- 

 shaped. The sori are at first roundish, but from their contiguity are early confluent, and form a con- 

 tinuous line, which at maturity fills the space between the margin and costfo. Occasionally a vein- 

 branch occurs not again branched at the soriferous summit mixed with those that are, and in some 

 instances the fertile venules seem to form a nearly complete circle by convergence. These particulars 

 show that the genus is well founded, and. in spite of habit and apparent superficial affinity, belongs 

 undoubtedly to this tribe, to which Moore ascribed it in his Index Filicum, rather than to the next to 

 which it is generally referred and merged in Lomaria. 



