43 



Destructiveness. — It is a troublesome pest where it abounds, but it is 

 much too rare in the West Indies to be of economic importance. 



(80.) Aspidiotm personatus, Comstock. (The Masked Aspidiotus.) 



Diagnosis. — A very small, convex, dark grey or black scale, looking 

 like some fungus, — especially the date-palm fungus, Graphiola 

 phoenicis. 



Distribution. — Jamaica, Antigua, Cuba, Barbados, and Acapulco, 

 Mexico. Also in Kew Gardens, under glass. 



Food-plants. — Areca rubra, Sabal, cocoa-nut palm, star-apple, rose* 

 guava, and a variety of other plants. 



Destructiveness. — Not usually very troublesome, but I have seen it 

 abundant enough on the leaves of the olive to do serious injury. 



(81.) Aspidiotus dictyospermi, Morgan. (The Dictyospermum As- 

 pidiotus.) 



Diagnosis. — A small flat greyish or reddish scale, very much like A. 

 aurantii. The insect is known, under the microscope, by the pair 

 of long serrated processes on each side of the hind legs. 



Distribution. — Dcmerara (typical form and var. arecce), Jamaica (var. 

 j amaicensis) , Hong Kong (a slight variety), Ceylon (collected by 

 Mr. E. E. Grreen), Trinidad (collected by Mr. J. H. Hart), and oc- 

 casionally in hothouses in the United States. 



Food-plants. — Areca catechu, Dictyospermum album, Erythrina indica, 

 &c. The var. jamaicensis on Cycas and rose. 



Varieties. — It appears to be quite a variable species. The var. arecat, 

 Newstead, is from Demerara ; var. jamaicensis, Ckll., occurs in Ja- 

 maica. Aspidiotus minor, Berlese, on Pandanus in cultivation in 

 Italy, is apparently a form of the species. A. mangife^ce, Ckll., 

 found on leaves of mango in Kingston, Jamaica, is perhaps a dis- 

 tinct species, but I decidedly incline to the opinion that it is but 

 a variety of dictyospermi. A description of it may be found in 

 Journ. Inst. Jamaica, vol. 1, p. 255. 



(82.) Aspidiotus rapax, Comstock. (The Grreedy Aspidiotus.) 



Diagnosis. — A small, conrex yellowish-grey scale, with a dark brown 

 or black spot somewhat to one side. The scales commonly occur 

 along the sides of the midrib of leaves. 



Distribution. — Jamaica, not frequent. Also in Antigua, Ceylon. Amoy 

 (China), New Zealand, and the southern part of Europe and the 

 IJnited States. The Rev. A. E. Eaton found it in Algeria, and 

 Dr. Grabham sent me specimens from Madeira. 



Food-plants. — Very various ; Cjsuarina, Stillingia sebifera, Euonymut 

 japonicus, Cercis siliquastrum, myrtle, Fuchsia, Pittosporum, 

 guava. Camellia, olive, almond, quince, fig, willow, Eucalyptus, 

 Acacia, &c., &c. 



Destructiveness. It is a destructive insect, but not common enough 



in the West Indies to do any appreciable damage. Mr. Green says 

 it is a rather serious pest on tea in Ceylon, and he has seen a young 

 Cinchona killed by it. 



