Florida may, when seen in the living state, also exhibit the spots. The differences which I noted in the Australian variety the antennal joints of the adult and the arrangement of the larval hairs-will still stand good, and I shall leave it as a valid variety.

In November, 1895, Mr. Froggatt sent me a number of specimens of the adult male of this species. I believe I am right in saying that, up to the present time, no male Icerya has been reported except that of I. purchasi, Mask. It is therefore interesting to record now that of I. rosæ.

But after a careful examination I am unable to detect any characters of importance which may distinguish this male from that of I. purchasi. Probably one naturally expects to differentiate a new thing from what is already known; moreover, one would suppose that a male of one species should not resemble entirely that of another. In all the Coccida, however, it is difficult to separate the males; whether amongst the Diaspids, or the Lecanids, or the Monophlebids, they are all exceedingly alike. In Sphærococcus I have been obliged to postpone giving generic characters for the male precisely because that genus exhibits just what no other does-a marked difference amongst the males. I gave in my "Scale-Insects of New Zealand," 1887, plate ii., fig. 3, some type-forms indicating a means of separating the males of one group from those of another; but there is nothing that I know of at present which may serve in a similar way as between males of any particular genus. Probably there is such a thing, if one could discover it, because a male of, say, Aspidiotus nerii would not couple with a female of Aspidiotus aurantii, or a male of Ctenochiton viridis with a female of Ctenochiton elæocarpi : but I do not yet know what it is.

However, I append a description of the male of I. rosa var. australis, premising that the general appearance seemed to me to be so near to that of I. purchasi that I wrote to Mr. Froggatt asking him if he were quite sure as to the collection of his specimens. In reply he assured me that he found both the adult females and the male cocoons on the same plant, and that the males which he had sent me had hatched out of these same cocoons in his own boxes. He also sent me a further supply of both females and cocoons together.

The male larva before changing to the pupa is very dark red, elliptical, slightly convex; length about in. The antennæ and feet are black. This larva is enclosed in a sac of thin white or slightly-yellowish wax, which is surrounded by much white cotton, and many of these sacs or cocoons are frequently massed together on a leaf. The antennæ have six joints, of which the first three are subequal, the next two shorter and equal, the last about as long as the fourth and

fifth together; each joint has a few hairs, and the last has two rather long. Feet rather long and slender, with some hairs; there is no tarsal digitule, and only one short bristle on the claw. The margin of the body bears a row of rather long hairs, and many similar hairs are on the dorsum; and at the posterior extremity there are six long setæ with tubercular bases. The epidermis is covered with numerous large circular multilocular spinneret-orifices. The eyes are small, tubercular. Rostrum large; mentum biarticulate.

The adult male is dark-red; length about in. The wings. are dark-grey; nervure red; there are also two longitudinal white streaks. Abdomen distinctly segmented, and each segment bears some rather long hairs. The abdomen terminates in two cylindrical processes, which in life are turned upwards, and beneath and between which is the short subconical sheath from which issues the penis; each of these processes bears four long setæ. Eyes prominent, numerously facetted, nearly black. Antennæ black, with ten joints, of which the first two are tubercular, the next seven elongated and compressed in the middle, the last subcylindrical. All are about the same length except the two first, which are shorter and equal; the second bears two shortish hairs, the last has several much longer and irregularly arranged, and the seven intermediate ones bear each two sets of long hairs arranged in rings; so that the whole antenna has a plumose appearance. Feet long and slender, black; the tibia is twice as long as the tarsus; all the joints are hairy. There is only one digitule, which is a short fine bristle on the claw.

The original food-plant of this species I gave as Hakea gibbosa, and in 1893 Mr. Froggatt remarked that the insect was rare; but he tells me now that he has found it also on Goodenia ovata, but still in the same locality, near Sydney.

A comparison with the description and figures which I gave of the male of I. purchasi in vol. xix. of our Transactions, and also in my Scale-Insects of New Zealand," 1887, will demonstrate the exceedingly close similarity between the males of the two species.

Genus TACHARDIA.

Tachardia decorella, Maskell, Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1892, p. 247.

In May, 1895, I received from Dr. Alcock, Superintendent of the Indiam Museum, Calcutta, some specimens of Coccids stated to attack "tea- and forest-trees in India." They turned out, greatly to my surprise, to be Tachardia decorella. As no locality was given, and the "forest-trees" were not named, I could not form any definite judgment as to the likelihood of these insects being native to India or introduced from Austra

lia; but the forest-trees being spoken of merely in general terms makes it seem most probable that they are indigenous to both countries. At some future time the species may be found in other tropical or subtropical lands.

INDEX TO PLATES XVI.-XXIII.

PLATE XVI.

Larval Characters of Coccidæ.

Fig. 1. Diaspidina: a, abdomen; b, antenna; c, foot.

Fig. 2. Lecanina: a, abdomen; b, abdomen after pressure; c, antenna; d, foot.

Fig. 3. Hemicoccina: Letters as above.
Fig. 4. Acanthococcina: Letters as above.

PLATE XVII.

Larval Characters of Coccidæ.

Fig. 1. Dactylopine: a, abdomen of Dactylopius; b, abdomen of Ripersia; c, antenna; d, foot.

Fig. 2. Idiococcina: a, abdomen of Cylindrococcus; b, abdomen of Sphærococcus; c, antenna; d, foot.

Fig. 3. Monophlebina: a, abdomen of Monophlebus; b, abdomen of

Fig. 4. Brachyscelinæ :

Icerya; c, antenna; d, foot.

a, abdomen of Brachyscelis; b, abdomen of Tachardia; c, antenna; d, abnormal antenna of T. melaleuca; e, foot.

Fig. 10.

abdomen of adult female.

posterior extremity of second pellicle.
diagram of larval pellicle.

larva (early).

Fig. 7. Aspidiotus virescens, insects on leaf.

"

second stage of male.

puparia, female and male.

abdomen of adult female.

margin of adult female, enlarged.

Fig. 11. Aspidiotus eucalypti, var. comatus, abdomen of adult female.

Fig. 1. Mytilaspis acacia, female and male puparia on separate pieces

Fig. 2.

PLATE XIX.

of bark.

abdomen of adult female.

adult female.

abdomen of adult female.

Fig. 3. Mytilaspis banksia, insects on leaf.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6. Mytilaspis melaleuca, abdomen of adult female.
Fig. 7. Chionaspis prunicola, var. theæ, insects on leaf.
Fig. 8.

"

Fig. 9. Chionaspis spartinæ, var. natalensis, insects on grass.

puparia, female and male.

puparia, female and male. abdomen of adult female.

PLATE XX.

Fig. 1. Pulvinaria thompsoni, insects on branch.

female and sac, enlarged.
diagram of adult female.
antenna of adult female.
last joint of antenna, enlarged.
foot of adult female.

spiracle and marginal spines of adult
female.

test of male pupa.

Fig. 9. Undetermined Hemicoccid, insects on leaf, second stage.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

"

Fig. 5.

"

Fig. 6.

Fig. 7.

Fig. 8.

Fig. 10.

"

"

insect, second stage, enlarged. diagram of female, second stage. antenna of female, second stage. foot of female, second stage.

marginal spines of female, second stage.

abdominal extremity of female (after pressure).

larva.

antenna of larva.

PLATE XXI.

Fig. 1. Prosopophora atherosperma, insects on bark.

Fig. 1. Lachnodius hirtus, insects on branch.

diagram of hairs of female.

Fig. 10. Sphærococcus obscuratus, insects in blisters on bark.

Fig. 11.

some blisters cut open.

Fig. 12. Spherococcus obscuratus, diagram of adult female.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6.

"

diagram of larval spinnerets and marginal hairs. antenna of larva.

Fig. 7. Icerya rosæ, var. australis, diagram of male larva.

ART. XXXIX.-Contributions towards a Monograph of the Aleurodidæ, a Family of Hemiptera-Homoptera.

By W. M. MASKELL, Registrar of the University of New Zealand, Corr. Mem. Roy. Soc. of South Australia.

[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 26th February, 1896.]

Plates XXIV.-XXXV.

THE attention of systematic entomologists has perhaps been less directed to the Aleurodide than to any other family of insects. The bibliography attached to this paper contains, indeed, a fair number of names, but the majority of these writers have either simply repeated the phrases of their predecessors, or made only quite trivial observations, or manifested but slight acquaintance with the family. The number of species reported is exceedingly small; and yet these insects are found in almost every country, and infest a great variety of plants, and it is certain that a little trouble on the part of collectors and observers would discover a large number of species now quite unknown. In this paper I shall include more than twenty forms which I believe to be new. These forms have come under my notice in connection with my studies of the homopterous family of the Coccida, most of them having been sent to me as specimens of that family. Were I able now to do any collecting myself in New Zealand (which unfortunately is not the case) I am sure that I could