107 



COCCIDiE, OR SCALE INSECTS.— X. 



By T. D. A. Cockerell, Entomologist of the New Mexico Agricultural 



Experiment Station. 



(Continued from Bulletin, Nov., 1896.) 



Genus Aulacaspis. 



(61.) Aulacaspis boisduvalii, Signoret. (Boisduval's Scale.) 



Diagnosis — Female scale small, circular or nearly so, with the exuviae 

 nearly central. The scale is white or greyish-white, rather trans- 

 lucent, the exuviae practically the same colour as the scale. Male 

 scale white, linear, tricarinate, with straw-coloured exuvise at one 

 end. The young larvae are pale yellow. 



Distribution — Common in Kingston, Jamaica; also found by Dr. Sin- 

 clair near Montego -Bay. In Barbadoes, on coconut ; also in Trini- 

 dad, and recorded by Newstead from British Guiana. Found by 

 Townsend at Alta Mira, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Also on hothouse 

 and garden plants in Europe, the United States, New Zealand, 

 South Australia and the Sandwich Is. 



Food-plants. — Various palms and orchids, and sometimes other plants. 

 It has been recorded specifically from coconut palm (Jamaica, Bar- 

 bados' 1 , Acacia (New Zealand), Livistona, Ruvenala madagascarien- 

 sis, Bromelia pinguin (Mexico) Latania commersoni (Trinidad). 

 Dr. Henderson found it in Kingston, Jamaica, on Oncidium tetra~ 

 petalum and Broughtonia sanguinea, in both cases associated with 

 Asterolecanium oncidii. There used to be, and probably still is 

 plenty of it on a coconut palm in the yard of the Institute of Ja- 

 maica. 



Destructiveness. — Not a particularly destructive species, but sometimes 

 it becomes abundant enough to call for remedial measures. 



Note. — Mr. Morgan separated the form on coconut from near Montego 

 Bay as a distinct species, A. tentaculatus, but I do not know any 

 satisfactory character by which it can be distinguished. There is, 

 however, a distinct species found on pineapples and Bilbergia in 

 European and American hothouses, which is likely to turn up at 

 any time in the West Indies. This is the A. bromelice ; it may be 

 known by the light yellow exuviae being very much to the side of 

 the scale, instead of in the middle. 



Genus Parlatoria. 



The female scales of this genus have the second skin of the exuviae 

 very large. Microscopic examination of the insect shows a pecu- 

 liar abdominal fringe, not seen in any other West Indian genus, 

 though it occurs in the European Leucaspis and Si/ngenaspis. 



(62.) Parlatoria pergandii var. crotonis Ckll. (The Croton Parlatoria.) 

 Diagnosis. — Small chaff-like scales on leaves of croton, white or brown- 

 ish, the second skin pale reddish-brown, suffused with black in. 

 the middle. Male scale elongate, not carinate. 



