180 
Transactions of the Boijal Society of South Africa. 
" The quantity exuded is not large considering the size of the insect, yet it is this 
' honey-dew ' which chiefly attracts attention to the insect, and gives rise to complaint& 
against it. It is a clear, colourless, sweet liquid, discharged through a single orifice in 
the back most freely when the insect is disturbed. Sometimes a thin jet is ejected for 
several seconds, and this may follow no greater stimulus than blowing hard with the 
breath. Ants gather to get the liquid, and a certain small bird which frequents the kopje 
is evidently very fond of it, poking the insect with its beak to get it. The ground beneatK 
badly infested trees becomes heavily coated with it, and in consequence becomes shiny^ 
black, and disagreeably sticky." 
There is only one generation in a year. Eupert W. Jack made obser- 
vations on this species in 1912, and although these are not complete he 
has kindly supphed the following particulars : — 
October 15, 1912. — ? ? nearly replete. Ova in centre of marsupium mature. Those 
near body-wall still immature, and the wall itself still contains the yellow offensive fluid 
present in immature scales. 
November 20, 1912.— A few larvae emerging. 
February 6, 1913. — Majority have increased from 4-5 mm. long. 
March. 6, 1913. — Males have moulted to a dull orange, migratory instar which leave the 
tree to secrete a fine white web in fallen leaves, grass, etc., at the base of the tree. 
Males isolated in the laboratory had finished secreting their web by 7.3.13, and 
emerged as adults between the 10th and 24th of April. These lived 4 to 5 days. 
April 7, 1913. — Female forms moult again. 
June 19, 1913. — Females flat, 10-13 mm. in length. These began to fill out in 
September, and reached their full size by the middle of October. 
After each moult the young migrate to thicker twigs or branches. 
Collection No. : C 15. 
55. ASPIDOPEOCTUS MIRABILIS (CklL). 
(Plate XXV., Fig. 53. Plate XXVIII., Fig. 67.) 
Lophococcus mirabilis, Ckll., The Entom., xxxiv., p. 248, 1901. 
Professor Cockerell's description is as follows : — 
" ? : Adult very convex, 10 millim. long, 8 broad, and 7 high, exclusive of the dorsal 
spine ; very strong chitinized throughout, hard, tough, but brittle, blackish brown, rugose 
and dull, with a thin coating of granular wax ; on the middle of the back is a stout erect 
spine about 3 millim. long, like a spike on a military helmet ; on each side is a pair 
of short stout spines in the subdorsal region, the posterior smaller and not amounting 
to more than a nodule ; anterior end of insect somewhat elevated, with two more or 
less developed blunt and thick longitudinal keels ; margin nodular ; on the under surface 
the thoracic region is firmly attached to the bark, so that when the insect is taken off 
a piece of bark comes with it. Anal orifices large and very little posterior to the middle 
of the insect, as in Crypticerya. 
Younger ? : 8 millim. long, and not over 3 high (excluding spine) ; the protuberances 
of the adult all well developed, the spine about as large ; there is also a protuberance just 
