CATALOGUE OF INSECTS AND DIAGNOSIS OF SPECIES.
Family.--COCCIDIDÆ.
Male and female larvæ similar, apterous, naked or covered, active.
Females in all stages apterous; metamorphosis semi-complete; naked or
covered; active or stationary; rostrum usually present in all stages,
sometimes absent in adult; feet sometimes absent after larval stage;
tarsi where present monomerous; feet, where present, ending in a single
claw; eyes sometimes absent.
Male pupæ apterous; naked or covered. Adult males with two wings and
two halteres; metamorphosis complete; rostrum present in larva and
pupa, always absent in adult; tarsi monomerous; feet ending in a single
claw; abdomen terminating in a spike which forms the sheath of the
penis; eyes present in adult; ocelli often large, sometimes exceeding
three in number.
The above characters sufficiently distinguish this family from the rest
of the Homoptera. Probably the first marks for identification of a
specimen might be the monomerous tarsus and the single claw. The latter
is always to be made out, at least in the earlier stages of the female
and in the adult male.
GROUPS.
Larvæ active, naked; adult females and pupæ stationary,
covered with separate shields or puparia, composed partly
of secretion, partly of the earlier discarded pellicles;
females apodous after larval stage; abdomen of females not
exhibiting a median cleft or dorsal lobes
Diaspidinæ.
Larvæ active, naked; adult females and pupæ active or
stationary, naked or covered with secretion; adults
sometimes apodous; abdomen of females exhibiting a median
cleft and two dorsal lobes
Lecanidinæ.
Larvæ active, naked, exhibiting at the abdominal extremity
two protruding anal tubercles. Adult females exhibiting
abdominal cleft and dorsal lobes; naked or covered with
secretion
Hemicoccidinæ.
Females in all stages exhibiting anal tubercles; no
abdominal cleft or dorsal lobes; naked or covered with
secretion
Coccidinæ.
Group I.--DIASPIDINÆ.
Female insects covering themselves with separate shields or puparia
composed partly of fibrous secretion, partly of the discarded
pellicles; females apodous after first stage; no abdominal cleft or
lobes; spinnerets usually arranged in groups on the posterior segment
of female.
GENERA.
Female puparium circular, pellicles usually in the centre;
male puparium slightly elongated, not carinated, pellicle
at one end. Four or five groups of spinnerets, or groups
absent
Aspidiotus.
Female puparium more or less circular, pellicles near the
centre; male puparium elongated, carinated, pellicle at one
end. Five groups of spinnerets
Diaspis.
Female puparium elongated, pellicles at one end; male
puparium nearly similar but smaller and narrower, not
carinated, pellicle at one end. Five groups of spinnerets
Mytilaspis.
Female puparium elongated, pellicles at one end; male
puparium much narrower and smaller, carinated, pellicle at
one end. Five groups of spinnerets
Chionaspis.
Female puparium elongated, pellicles at one end; male
puparium narrower, pellicle at one end. More than five
groups of spinnerets. Abdomen of female not fringed
Poliaspis.
Female puparium elongated, first pellicle at one end,
second pellicle almost filling the puparium; male puparium
smaller and narrower, sometimes carinated, pellicle at one
end
Fiorinia.
_Genera not yet represented in New Zealand._
Female puparium circular or elongated; male puparium
elongated, not carinated
Parlatoria.
Female puparium elongated; male puparium similar but
smaller. Abdomen of female fringed
Leucaspis.
Female puparium double, the scales superimposed, first
pellicle in the centre of the upper scale; male puparium
elongated, not carinated
Aonidia.
Female puparium completely enclosing the insect; male
puparium elongated, not carinated
Targionia.
Genus: ASPIDIOTUS, Bouché.
Female puparium varying in colour; circular in outline, usually flat,
sometimes rather convex; pellicles usually in the centre.
Male puparium rather longer than that of the female, the pellicle at
one end; not carinated above.
Groups of spinnerets usually four, sometimes five, and in one American
species (_A. sabalis_, Comstock) six; or, in a few cases, altogether
wanting.
Adult females usually peg-top shaped.
1. Aspidiotus Atherospermæ, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 198.
(Plate IV., Fig. 1.)
Female puparium circular, flat, brown; diameter, about 1/20in. The
pellicles in the centre form sometimes a sort of boss or protuberance,
of lighter colour than the rest.
Male puparium oval, flat, brownish, about 1/36in. in length.
Adult female light-yellow in colour, of the usual peg-top shape of the
genus; length, about 1/30in.; corrugated--the last abdominal section,
being very small, is much overlapped by the rest. Four groups of
spinnerets, upper pair with fifteen orifices; lower pair, nine or ten.
Abdomen terminating in several lobes, of which the four median are the
largest; between the lobes scaly serrated hairs.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Atherosperma Novæ Zælandiæ_, Wellington; Hawke's Bay.
2. Aspidiotus Budlæiæ, Signoret.
Ann. de la Soc. Entom. de France, 1868, p. 115.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 198.
Female puparium circular, flat, dirty-white, about 1/15in. in diameter.
Male puparium oval, dirty-white, about 1/30in. in length.
Adult female light-yellow, peg-top shaped; abdomen ending in two
somewhat prominent lobes, with scaly hairs and spines. Four groups of
spinnerets: upper groups with five or six orifices; lower groups, three
or four.
Adult male yellow, slightly brown on the thorax; antennæ of ten joints,
all hairy.
Habitat--On silver-wattle, Nelson. The insect is European, and found
there on _Budlæia salicina_.
Closely allied to _A. nerii_, but differing in the lobes and spinnerets
of the abdomen.
3. Aspidiotus Camelliæ, Boisduval.
_Kermes camelliæ_, Boisduval, Ent. Hort., p. 334.
_Aspidiotus camelliæ_, Signoret, loc. cit., 1869, p. 117.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 200; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 21.
(Plate IV., Fig. 2.)
Female puparium nearly circular, convex, greyish or brownish in colour,
about 1/15in. in diameter; pellicles often at one side.
Male puparium rather smaller, oval.
Adult female of normal shape, but somewhat elongated. Abdomen ending in
two lobes, with a few scattered scaly hairs. No groups of spinnerets.
Habitat--On camellias, Christchurch; on euonymus, weeping willow, &c.,
Wellington.
Very common in gardens about Wellington: sometimes does much damage to
euonymus shrubs and hedges.
4. Aspidiotus Carpodeti, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 21.
Female puparium usually light-brown, but varying a little with the
colour of the bark of the tree; convex; circular; the pellicles in the
centre; some specimens are slightly elongated. Average diameter, 1/16in.
Male puparium narrow, with parallel sides; not carinated; dirty-white
or brownish colour; length, about 1/16in.
Adult female of the normal peg-top shape, the abdomen not so much
overlapped as usual. Abdomen ending in two median somewhat prominent
lobes, with two others much smaller not in close proximity; edge of
the body jagged, with curvilinear incisions, amongst which and between
the lobes are a number of serrated pointed hairs, as in _A. nerii_.
Four groups of spinnerets: lower pair with four to six orifices; upper,
with six to ten. These groups seem surrounded by a narrow line as if
enclosed in a chamber: the same appearance is presented (according
to a figure of Mr. Comstock's) in _A. nerii_. There are many single
spinnerets.
Adult male of normal form, with antennæ of ten joints, of which the
seventh, eighth, and ninth are the longest. The haltere has a somewhat
long peduncle. The abdominal spike is rather long, and springs from a
large tubercle.
Habitat--On _Carpodetus serratus_ and _Vitex littoralis_ (puriri),
Wellington. The puparia are so like in colour to the bark that it is
difficult to detect them.
This insect is evidently closely allied to _A. nerii_, but differs in
the abdominal lobes of the female and in the antennæ of the male; its
male puparium is also much longer, and that of the female more convex,
than in that species.
5. Aspidiotus coccineus, Gennadius.[K]
_Aspidiotus aurantii_, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 199.
_Aspidiotus citri_, Comstock; Canadian Entom., Vol. XIII., p. 8.
(Plate IV., Fig. 3.)
[K] The author has not been able to find the original description of
Gennadius, which appears to have been contained in a report to the
Minister for Agriculture in Greece. Dr. Signoret states that there is a
reference to it in "Risso, Histoire Naturelle des Oranges," Vol. I., p.
220.
Female puparium really dirty-white, but seeming yellowish-brown, from
the colour of the insect beneath; sometimes dark-brown; circular, flat;
diameter, about 1/11in.
Male puparium much smaller, rather oval.
Adult female yellow, becoming brown at last; peg-top shaped, but the
abdominal segment is comparatively so small and is so much overlapped
by the others that the insect looks almost globular; length, about
1/15in. Abdomen ending in six lobes (of which the two median are the
largest), and several scaly hairs. No groups of spinnerets.
Adult male very small, brown or yellow in colour. The antennæ have ten
joints: the two first joints are very small, round, and smooth; the
third, fourth, fifth, and sixth equal in length; the seventh, eighth,
and ninth half as long; the tenth somewhat shorter still, and pointed.
All the last eight joints show numerous hairs. The thorax is short and
thick, the thoracic band occupying more than one-half the width; the
abdomen short, the double spike of some length. The wings are oval,
about as long as the body. The legs are hairy, femora thick, tibiæ
longer, thicker at the end next the tarsus than at the other end; tarsi
broad at the top, tapering gradually down to the usual single claw. The
hairs on the femora are much fewer than those on the tibiæ and tarsi.
Habitat--On oranges and lemons in shops, very abundant, often several
hundreds on a single fruit; on orange- and lemon-trees, Governor's Bay,
Canterbury; and Auckland.
This insect is European, and has been introduced here from Australia.
It is exceedingly destructive to orange and lemon groves in America
and Australia. Mr. Comstock (Report of the Entomologist, U.S. Dep. of
Agric., 1881, p. 295) records an instance where a grove of thirty-three
acres, which in 1872 produced a rental of £1,800, could fetch in 1878
only £120, on account of the ravages of this insect.
Orange- and lemon-growers in the north of New Zealand should beware of
this pest. It is scarcely likely that it should be harmless here when
it is so destructive elsewhere.
The remedies most likely to be efficacious have been mentioned in the
introductory chapters of this work.
6. Aspidiotus dysoxyli, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 198.
Female puparium circular, somewhat convex, brown in colour; diameter,
about 1/15in.
Male puparium smaller, oval, brown.
Adult female bright-yellow, corrugated, the corrugations overlapping
the abdominal region, which is comparatively small. There are four
groups of spinnerets, the upper pair with ten openings, the lower with
nine, many scattered oval and oblong spinnerets. The abdomen ends in
six lobes, of which only the two median are conspicuous; between the
lobes fine serrated hairs. The abdomen is very velvety.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Dysoxylon spectabile_, Wellington.
Allied to _A. atherospermæ_, but differing in the abdominal lobes and
spinnerets.
7. Aspidiotus epidendri, Bouché.
_Chermes epidendri_, Boisduval; Ent. Hort., 1867, p. 339.
_Aspidiotus epidendri_, Signoret, loc. cit., 1869, p. 121.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 197.
Female puparium circular, flat, dirty-white or brownish; diameter,
about 1/12in.
Male puparium elongated, the sides parallel.
Adult female greenish yellow, peg-top shaped. Abdomen ending in several
lobes, of which only the two median are conspicuous; between the
lobes several serrated scaly hairs, and some spines. Four groups of
spinnerets: upper groups, eight to ten orifices; lower groups, six to
eight: many single spinnerets.
Adult male somewhat long, yellowish in colour; antennæ of ten joints;
feet having somewhat thick femora, the tibiæ and tarsi slender; all the
joints hairy. The abdominal spike, or sheath of the penis, is rather
long, and the tubercle at its base is large.
Habitat--On palms and orchids in hothouses, _passim_; on wattle,
rarely, Christchurch.
This is a European insect, affecting hothouse plants, and scarcely
likely to do damage out-of-doors. It is closely allied to _A. nerii_.
8. Aspidiotus nerii, Bouché; Schadl. Gart. Ins., 1833, 52.
_Diaspis Bouchei_, Targioni-Tozzetti; "Studie sulle Coccineglie,"
1867.
_Aspidiotus Bouchei_, Targioni; Catal., 1868, 45, 1.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 217.
(Plate IV., Fig. 4.)
Female puparium circular, flat, white or greyish; diameter, about
1/12in.
Male puparium oval, white; about 1/25in. in length.
Adult female yellow, peg-top shaped, but almost globular. Abdomen
ending in six lobes, of which the two median are the largest. Between
and a little beyond the lobes are a number of scaly serrated hairs,
some of which exhibit serrated extremities; also some scaly but smooth
hairs. There are also a few spines. Four groups of spinnerets, which
are surrounded (according to Mr. Comstock, Entom. Report, U.S. Dep. of
Agric., 1880, Plate XV., Fig. 1) by a fine line, as if enclosed in a
sac. Many single spinnerets.
In the larva the abdomen ends in four lobes, of which the two median
are somewhat prominent.
Adult male yellow or brownish; antennæ of ten joints, each with several
hairs; feet having the femora somewhat thick, the tibiæ and tarsi flat
and slender, the former a little expanded at the extremity.
Habitat--On _Coprosma lucida_ and _Corynocarpus lævigata<i/> (Karaka),
Wellington.
A species introduced from Europe, where its favourite habitat is
_Nerium oleander_; but it is found on many other plants, and is,
according to Dr. Signoret, "the commonest of all the species of this
genus." It has not yet spread widely in New Zealand.
9. Aspidiotus sophoræ, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 121.
Female puparium nearly circular, flat, bluish-grey; diameter, about
1/24in.
Male puparium oval; length, about 1/36in.
Adult female of the usual peg-top shape, greenish-yellow in colour;
abdomen ending in two conspicuous median lobes, with a number of scaly
serrated hairs, as in _A. nerii_. Five groups of spinnerets: uppermost
group with four orifices; the remainder, seven or eight. Some specimens
show only four groups.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Sophora tetraptera_ (Kowhai), Port Hills, Canterbury.
Only a few species of Aspidiotus are reported with five groups of
spinnerets. The present insect differs from all of them in the scaly
serrated hairs of the abdomen; none of the others has more than a few
spines.
Genus: DIASPIS, Costa.
Female puparium more or less, but never quite, circular; sometimes
flat, but more usually convex; pellicles more or less marginal.
Male puparium elongated, the pellicle at one end; a longitudinal
carina, or keel, appears in the middle.
Groups of spinnerets, five.
Mr. Comstock (Entom. Rep., Cornell Univ., 1883, p. 85) remarks that,
when the pellicles of the female of this genus are marginal, it might
be difficult to distinguish it from Chionaspis, as the male puparia are
alike in both. As regards the species observed hitherto in New Zealand
this difficulty has not occurred.
10. Diaspis Boisduvalii, Signoret; Ann. de la Soc. Entom.
de France, 1868, p. 433.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 200; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 23.
(Plate IV., Fig. 5.)
Female puparium oval, nearly circular, flattish; colour,
yellowish-grey; diameter, about 1/12in.
Male puparium elongated, white, with a strong median keel, and with
the edges raised so as to appear like two other keels; length, about
1/20in. The male puparia frequently occur massed in great numbers, and
covered with white hairs and fluff.
Adult female rather elongated, oval, or somewhat pear-shaped; the body
corrugated, the cephalic portion smooth. At each side, on a level with
the rostrum, or a little above it, is a protruding lobe, which is
characteristic. Colour, light-yellow. Abdomen ending in two lobes, not
prominent, and with a depression between them; beyond the lobes are
many serrations, with small lobelike projections and spiny hairs. Five
groups of spinnerets: uppermost group with five to eight orifices[L];
the two upper side groups with twenty to twenty-five; lower side
groups, fifteen to twenty. A few scattered single spinnerets.
[L] Mr. Comstock (Entom. Rep., Cornell Univ., 1883, p. 87) gives eight to
fifteen orifices for the uppermost group.
Adult male very small, about 1/40in. in length; colour, reddish-yellow;
antennæ of ten joints, all with hairs except the two first; femora
and tibiæ slender, tarsi thick at the base, and tapering to the claw;
digitules, fine hairs. The first and second pair of legs appear
somewhat widely separated, owing to the length of the coxæ.
Habitat--On several hothouse plants, Christchurch and Wellington; and
on wattle in gardens, Wellington.
A European insect. The curious projections at the side, near the head,
of the female, and the arrangement of the male puparia above mentioned,
sufficiently distinguish this species.
11. Diaspis rosæ, Sandberg.
_Aspidiotus rosæ_, Sandberg; Abhand., priv. Boh., No. 6, p. 317.
_Diaspis rosæ_, Signoret, loc. cit., 1869, p. 441.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 201.
(Plate IV., Fig. 6.)
Female puparium nearly circular, white, often aggregated in masses;
diameter, about 1/12in. Pellicles, marginal.
Male puparium white, elongated, carinated; length, about 1/20in.
Adult female deep-red in colour, elongated, the body deeply segmented.
Cephalic region very large, smooth. On each segment of the body several
spiny hairs. Abdomen ending in two conspicuous lobes with a depression
between them, and some spiny hairs. Five groups of spinnerets, but the
lateral groups are almost continuous; uppermost group with about twenty
orifices; in the lateral groups, fifty to sixty orifices. No single
spinnerets.
Adult male orange-red in colour; antennæ ten-jointed, with several
hairs on all but the first two joints; feet slender, hairy; digitules,
fine hairs. The spike is somewhat long.
Habitat--On rose-trees, Governor's Bay, Canterbury-Napier.
A European species, stated by Mr. Comstock to attack, in America,
blackberries and raspberries, besides the rose.
The deep-red colour and abnormally-large cephalic segment of this
insect distinguish it from all others.
12. Diaspis santali, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 122.
(Plate IV., Fig. 7.)
Female puparium yellowish-grey in colour, sometimes with a greenish
tinge; outline oval; very convex; pellicles at one end, black,
inconspicuous; length of puparium, about 1/15in.
Male puparium white, elongated, carinated; pellicle, black; length,
about 1/25in.
Adult female orange-red in colour, peg-top shaped; the abdominal
segment very small as compared with the rest of the body, and the two
next segments overlap it. Abdomen ending in two conspicuous, prominent,
median lobes, and at each side of them two semi-circular depressions:
several branched and serrated hairs in the region of these lobes. There
are no groups of spinnerets. There is no wide depression of the edge
between the median lobes.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Santalum cunninghamii_ (Maire), Te Aute, Hawke's Bay; and
on pear, plum, and other fruit-trees at Whangarei, having probably
spread from native plants.
The carinated male puparium distinguishes this species from Aspidiotus.
The absence of spinnerets is curious.
Genus: MYTILASPIS, Targioni-Tozzetti.
Female and male puparia similar, or nearly similar, in shape, but
the male puparium is smaller. Puparia elongated, generally more or
less mussel-shaped or pyriform, usually convex, more or less curved;
pellicles at one end. Male puparia not carinated. Five groups of
spinnerets in the female, but the groups are sometimes continuous.
13. Mytilaspis cordylinidis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 195.
(Plate V., Fig. 1.)
Female puparium pure white, elongated, very narrow; usually straight,
sometimes curved; pellicles yellow, at one end; length, about 1/8in.;
breadth, about 1/30in.
Male puparium similar to that of the female, but much smaller; length,
about 1/20in.
Adult female pale yellow in colour, elongated, distinctly segmented.
Rudimentary antennæ on the cephalic segment. A few fine hairs at the
edges of the segments. Abdomen ending in two lobes with a small median
depression; several serrated scaly hairs, and a few spines. Five groups
of spinnerets: uppermost groups, seven or eight orifices; upper lateral
group, fourteen to twenty; lower lateral group, twenty to twenty-five.
A great number of single spinnerets.
Adult male doubtful; very minute and difficult to detect. Antennæ
apparently short and tibiæ large.
Habitat--On _Cordyline australis_ and _C. indivisa_, _Phormium_,
_Gahnia_, _Astelia_, _Eucalyptus_, &c., throughout the islands; but the
chief habitat seems to be _C. australis_ (the common cabbage-tree), on
which it is often very abundant.
This species may at first sight be mistaken for _Fiorinia stricta_,
described below, which also infests Cordyline and Phormium; but, on
inspection, it will be seen that the puparium of the Mytilaspis is much
whiter, and the pellicles yellow, those of _F. stricta_ being black. An
examination of the second pellicles of the two species will, of course,
at once distinguish them.
14. Mytilaspis drimydis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 196.
(Plate V., Fig. 3.)
Female puparium elongated, often straight, sometimes curved; colour,
dirty-white or brown; pellicles at one end; length, about 1/12in.
Male puparium similar, but smaller.
Adult female dull-red in colour, elongated, not very distinctly
segmented. Abdomen ending in a number of small lobes, of which the
four median are the largest; several fine hairs between the lobes; no
groups of spinnerets, but a very great number of single ones, which
are scattered on the segments as far up as the rostrum. Many of these
protrude as short thick tubes with serrated or fringed extremities. On
the cephalic segment are a few spiny hairs and two rudimentary antennæ.
Adult male red in colour; antennæ of ten joints; tarsi somewhat large.
Both antennæ and feet have numerous hairs. Digitules, fine.
Habitat--On _Drimys colorata_, Water of Leith, Dunedin, from which it
has spread to other native plants.
15. Mytilaspis epiphytidis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 21.
(Plate V., Fig. 2.)
Female puparium flat, pyriform, brown in colour, thin; length, about
1/11in.
Male puparium narrower than that of the female, and a good deal darker,
being sometimes almost black; length, about 1/20in.; not carinated.
Adult female dark-grey in colour, elongated, segmented. Abdomen ending
in two median lobes; along the edge several deepish curvilinear
incisions, between which are some strong spines. Five groups of
spinnerets: lower pair with fourteen to sixteen orifices; upper pair,
twelve to sixteen; uppermost group, four to six.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Astelia cunninghamii_, Wellington.
16. Mytilaspis leptospermi, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 215.
(Plate V., Fig. 4.)
Female puparium flat, elongated, irregularly pyriform, light-brown in
colour; length, about 1/12in. The secretion forming the puparium is
mixed with bark-cells of the tree, arranged longitudinally.
Male puparium narrower than that of the female, and darker in colour.
Adult female greyish-green, elongated, segmented; abdomen ending in six
lobes, of which the two median are conspicuous and somewhat large and
floriated, the rest very small. Five groups of spinnerets: the upper
group with about fifteen openings; the others with from twenty-five to
thirty-five. Single spinnerets none, or very few.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Leptospermum scoparium_ (manuka), Wellington; Canterbury;
Auckland. The puparia are often numerous on the loose scaly bark of the
tree.
17. Mytilaspis metrosideri, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XII., 1879, p. 293.
Female puparium white, pyriform. Female in all stages dark-coloured; in
last stage nearly black. General outline resembling _M. drimydis_, but
the abdomen is much sharper and more pointed, with a finely-serrated
edge, ending in three minute, pointed lobes, joined by a scaly process.
Spinnerets in an almost continuous arch, which may be resolved into
five groups; seventy or eighty openings; several single spinnerets.
The rudimentary antennæ can be made out.
The young female has an elongated oval outline, little corrugated. The
feet, digitules, antennæ, &c., resemble those of _M. pomorum_. The
abdomen is like that of the adult, without the groups of spinnerets.
Male unknown, but puparium smaller and rather darker in colour than
that of the female.
Habitat--On _Metrosideros robusta_ (rata), Wellington, and probably
elsewhere. It is not common.
18. Mytilaspis phymatodidis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XII., 1879, p. 292.
Female puparium flattish, pyriform, dirty-white or brownish; length,
about 1/12in.
Male puparium similar, brown.
Adult female greyish, elongated, segmented. Rudimentary antennæ
visible. Abdomen ending in two lobes with a median depression: several
scaly and serrated processes, and some spiny hairs. Five groups of
spinnerets: uppermost group, six to nine orifices; upper side groups,
ten to fourteen; lower pair, fifteen to twenty: several single
spinnerets.
Male unknown.
Habitat--On _Phymatodes billardieri_, Wellington; Auckland.
In outward appearance the female resembles _M. pomorum_, but the
puparium is quite different, and the abdominal characters also differ.
19. Mytilaspis pomorum, Bouché.
_Aspidiotus pomorum_, Bouché; Ent. Zeit. Stett., 1851,
XII., No. 1.
_Aspidiotus conchiformis_, _auctorum_; _nec_ Gmelin,
Syst. Nat., 2,221.
_Aspidiotus pyrus-malus_, Kennicott; 1854, Acad. Science of
Cleveland.
_Aspidiotus juglandis_, Fitch; Ann. Rep., N.Y. State Ag.
Soc., 1856; _nec_ Signoret, loc. cit., 1870, p. 95.
_Aspidiotus falciformis_, Bärensprung; Journ. d'Alton et
Burm., 1849.
_Mytilaspis pomicorticis_, Riley; Fifth Rep. State Entom.,
Missouri, p. 95.
_Mytilaspis pomorum_ (Bouché), Signoret; loc. cit., 1870,
p. 98.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 192.
The common apple-scale.
(Plate V., Fig. 5.)
Female puparium usually brown,[M] sometimes white; elongated,
mussel-shaped, convex, slightly curved, sometimes straight; length,
about 1/10in.
[M] Dr. Signoret says, "brun noirâtre." Mr. Comstock calls it "ash-grey."
In reality the colour varies somewhat with that of the bark of the tree.
Male puparium not known in New Zealand. In America it is stated[N] to
be small, "straight or nearly so, and with the posterior part joined to
the remainder of the scale by a thin portion which serves as a hinge."
[N] Comstock; Rep. of Entom., U.S. Dept. of Agric., 1880, p. 325.
Adult female greyish, yellowish, or white; elongated, segmented.
Rudimentary antennæ present. At the edge of each segment two or three
strong spines. Abdomen ending in two large lobes, with two others much
smaller on each side; the median lobes are trifoliated. Between and
beyond the lobes some spines. Five groups of spinnerets; numbers of
orifices variable (see below); a few single spinnerets.
Male unknown in New Zealand and Europe, doubtful in America. Colour
stated by Riley (Fifth Missouri Report, p. 95) as "translucent
corneous-grey."
Habitat in New Zealand--On apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, lilac,
ash, thorn, sycamore, cotoneaster, and other plants, _passim_.
An introduced European species, known in America and elsewhere as
the "oyster-shell bark-louse of the apple." It is the commonest,
apparently, of the Diaspidinæ; and does great damage in orchards.
This species has been referred to by many writers under the specific
name "conchiformis;" some authors include it under the genus
Aspidiotus, others under Coccus, and one--Réaumur--under Chermes. In
the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society, February,
1885, Mr. A. Michael refers to it as _Coccus (Mytilaspis) pomicorticis_.
The groups of spinnerets have been stated above to be "variable." The
following table shows the numbers observed in specimens from different
trees in New Zealand:--
Uppermost Upper Side Lower Side
Groups. Groups. Groups.
Apple 17 17 14
Plum 20 17 17
Lilac 17 19 16
Ash 10 12 9
Cotoneaster 7 15 10
A very minute white Acarid (mite) has been observed frequently under
the puparia of this species, among the eggs. The eggs, in most cases
so observed, were shrivelled and dead. Mr. A. Michael, in the paper
above mentioned ("Notes on Tyroglyphidæ") refers to an Acarus found in
America in 1873, also in puparia of _M. pomorum_, by Mr. Riley, and
expresses doubts whether or not it fed upon the insect; yet he says, "A
Tyroglyphus not ordinarily predatory might regard a Coccus as suitable
for gastronomic purposes."
20. Mytilaspis pyriformis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 194; Vol. XIV., 1881,
p. 215; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 22.
(Plate V., Fig. 6.)
Female puparium light-brown, elongated, pyriform, flat; length,
averaging 1/10in. (sometimes reaching 1/8in.); breadth, averaging
1/15in. (reaching 1/12in.); texture, thin. The second pellicle is
comparatively large.
Male puparium smaller and narrower, brown, not carinated.
Adult female yellowish-brown or greyish; elongated, segmented; on the
segments are a few spiny hairs. Abdomen ending in several lobes, of
which the two median are much the largest. Spinnerets in a continuous
arch, containing sixty to seventy orifices. Many single spinnerets.
Several scaly hairs between the lobes.
Adult male orange-coloured, about 1/30in. long. Antennæ 10-jointed.
Digitules, long fine hairs. Sheath of the penis long.
Habitat--On _Dysoxylon spectabile_ and _Atherosperma Novæ Zælandiæ_,
Wellington; on Coprosma, Riccarton Bush, Canterbury.
In the female puparium and in the length of the abdominal spike of the
male this species resembles _M. buxi_, Bouché (Signoret, loc. cit.,
1868, p. 93), but differs in all other respects.
Genus: CHIONASPIS, Signoret.
Female puparium usually white, elongated; pellicles at one end;
generally flat.
Male puparium white, elongated, carinated; pellicle at one end.
Groups of spinnerets, five (in one American species, six); rarely
wanting.
21. Chionaspis citri, Comstock; 2nd Rep., Dep. of Entom.,
Cornell Univ., 1883.
_Chionaspis euonymi_, Comstock (in part); Ag. Rep., 1880,
p. 313.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., p. 1884, p. 23.
(Plate VI., Fig. 1.)
Female puparium dirty blackish-brown, with a grey margin; elongated.
"There is a central ridge from which the sides slope like the roof of a
house" (Comstock).
Male puparium white, narrow, carinated.
Adult female yellowish-white, elongated, segmented. Abdomen ending
in six lobes, of which the two median are the largest: these two are
divergent. Along the edge some spines. No groups of spinnerets: a few
single ones.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On oranges sold in the shops, imported from Sydney.
This insect, apparently an importation from America, was not observed
prior to 1884, and occurs as yet only sparingly, mingled with _A.
coccineus_, from which it is easily distinguished by its elongated
puparium.
22. Chionaspis dubia, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 216.
(Plate VI., Fig. 2.)
Female puparium white, flat, elongated, pyriform, very thin; the
pellicles rather small; length, about 1/12in.
Male puparium white, elongated, rather oval; very slightly carinated
above; on the under-side are two longitudinal keels.
Adult female yellow, elongated, segmented; the abdominal segments
somewhat deep. Abdomen ending with a median depression; terminal lobes
inconspicuous (absent?). Five groups of spinnerets: uppermost group,
six to ten orifices; the rest, ten to fifteen.
Adult male reddish in colour. Antennæ hairy, 10-jointed, the first two
joints very short. Feet normal, with four long, fine digitules. At
the base of the abdominal spike is a somewhat large tubercle. Haltere
of normal form, but the terminal seta is very long, four times as
long as the thick basal portion, and has no terminal knob. Thoracic
band conspicuous. The thorax is somewhat long, so that there is a
considerable distance between the first and second pairs of legs.
Habitat--On _Coprosma_, _Rubus_, _Asplenium_, _Pellæa_, Riccarton Bush
and North Kowai River, Canterbury; Auckland.
The female puparium resembles that of _C. aspidistræ_ (Signoret) and
_C. populi_ (Bärensprung), but the abdominal segment of the female
differs from both.
23. Chionaspis dysoxyli, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 22.
(Plate VI., Fig. 3.)
Female puparium thin, flattish, pyriform, white in colour, with a faint
pink tinge when the egg-mass beneath shows through it; length, about
1/12in. The second pellicle is comparatively large.
Male puparium white, narrow, carinated; length, about 1/36in.
The insect affects principally the leaves of the plant, and the puparia
are usually clustered thickly along the midrib.
Adult female yellowish-red, elongated, segmented; but not very deeply.
Abdomen ending in a broken curve, with many curvilinear incisions.
There are fourteen lobes, of which the two median are the largest;
separated from them by a spine on each side are two others rather
smaller; then another spine and a short open space; and then three
smaller lobes and another spine; another space, and then a single small
lobe, followed by a spine. Five groups of spinnerets: lower pair with
twelve to fourteen orifices; upper pair with seven to ten; uppermost
group, four to six. A few spiny hairs are on the edge of the abdomen.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Dysoxylon spectabile_ (Kohe-kohe), Wellington; Hawke's
Bay; Auckland.
The large white puparia of this insect do much to spoil the appearance
of Dysoxylon, one of the most showy-leafed plants in New Zealand.
24. Chionaspis minor, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 33.
(Plate VI., Fig. 4.)
Female puparium white, small, not more than 1/15in. in length, usually
less; it is narrower and less pyriform than is usual in the genus, and
is often bent in the middle; pellicles yellow.
Male puparium white, narrow, elongated, carinated, about 1/30in. in
length.
Adult female elongated; segmented, but not deeply; colour, dark-brown.
Abdomen ending in six small lobes, of which the two median--the
largest--are closely contiguous. Between them and the next pair is a
spine; then beyond the second pair another spine, a space, and a third
pair of very small lobes; after a long space there is another spine.
Five groups of spinnerets: uppermost group with twelve to fourteen
orifices; upper pair, fourteen to seventeen; lower pair, eighteen to
twenty-four: many single spinnerets.
Adult male not known.
Habitat--On _Parsonsia_, Hawke's Bay; on _Rhipogonum scandens_
(supplejack), Wellington; Canterbury; Otago.
The small puparia and the contiguous abdominal lobes of the female
distinguish this species.
Genus: POLIASPIS, Maskell; N.Z. Trans., Vol. XII., 1879, p. 293.
Female puparia elongated; pellicles at one end. Male puparia narrower,
elongated, pellicle at one end. Female with more than five groups of
spinnerets; abdomen without fringe.
In the kindred genus, _Leucaspis_, Targioni-Tozzetti (Signoret, loc.
cit., 1868, p. 101), the abdomen has a continuous fringe of long
spines, and the groups of spinnerets vary in number from five to eight.
25. Poliaspis media, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XII., 1879, p. 293.
(Plate VI., Fig. 5.)
Female puparium white, elongated, pyriform, slightly convex; length,
about 1/18in.
Male puparium elongated, narrow, white, doubtfully carinated.
Adult female elongated, segmented; greenish-white; length, about
1/24in. Rudimentary antennæ visible. Abdomen ending with a median
depression, and inconspicuous lobes; several scattered spiny hairs.
Eight groups of spinnerets: four, containing each from twenty to thirty
orifices, are placed in opposite pairs, the fifth, with four to six
orifices, being between the upper pair; above these, three other groups
form an arch, the two outer ones having eight to ten openings, the
middle one three to five. Many single spinnerets.
Adult male of a bright scarlet or deep-orange colour. The antennæ,
covered with longish hairs, have ten joints, the first two very short
and thick; the next five long, equal, and cylindrical; the eighth and
ninth somewhat shorter; the tenth fusiform, and as long as the seventh.
The legs are rather long; the femur thick, the tibia more slender,
broadening towards the tarsus, which is about one-third as long as the
tibia, and narrows sharply down to the claw. Both tarsus and tibia are
hairy. The digitules are fine hairs.
Habitat--On _Veronica_, sp., and _Leucopogon Fraseri_, North Kowai
River, Canterbury; on _Cyathodes acerosa_, Wellington; on ferns, Napier.
Genus: FIORINIA, Targioni-Tozzetti. Uhleria, Comstock; 2nd
Entom. Rep., Cornell Univ., 1883, p. 110.
Female puparium elongated; first pellicle small, at one end; second
pellicle very large, entirely covering the insect, and almost extending
to the edges of the puparium.
Male puparium elongated; smaller and narrower than that of the female;
sometimes carinated; pellicle at one end.
Mr. Comstock proposes the name "Uhleria" for this genus, because
Professor Targioni, establishing his genus for the species to which
he originally gave the name of _Diaspis fioriniæ_, changed at the
same time the specific name to "pellucida." This, Mr. Comstock says,
necessitates now an entirely new generic name.
Targioni's nomenclature has been followed here, as likely to lead to
less confusion.
26. Fiorinia asteliæ, Maskell.
_Diaspis gigas_, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 201; Vol. XIV., 1881,
p. 217; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 24.
_Uhleria gigas_, Comstock; 2nd Entom. Rep., Cornell Univ.,
1883, p. 111.
(Plate VI., Fig. 6.)
Female puparium elongated, flat, roughly pyriform or ovate, thin;
the secretion is yellowish-brown or dirty-white, but is scarcely
noticeable, on account of the second pellicle; length variable, from
1/12in. to 1/8in.; breadth, about 1/16in. First pellicle small, at one
end. Second pellicle, very large, almost filling the puparium, roughly
pyriform; abdominal region segmented; cephalic region large, oval;
abdominal segments tapering, exhibiting at the extremity either minute
serrations, floriated lobes, or tusk-like lobes, or a smooth curve;
the first abdominal segment sometimes produced into roundly-triangular
lobes.
Male puparium flattish, elongated; length, from 1/10in. to 1/8in.;
white, thin; roughly pyriform, but narrower than that of the female;
central portion slightly convex, seeming on the under-side to have two
keels; not carinated above.
Adult female yellow or brown; segmented; at first elongated, the
cephalic region comparatively large, but during gestation shrinking
up until the insect assumes the form of Aspidiotus. Abdomen ending in
a minutely-serrated edge, with several small simple lobes, between
which are longish spiny hairs. Spinnerets in an almost continuous arch,
containing seventy to a hundred orifices; several single spinnerets.
Adult male yellow, slender. Antennæ, ten-jointed, as long as the
body; each joint except the two first long and hairy; the last joint
fusiform. Feet, long and slender; digitules, fine hairs. Abdominal
spike, slender, not very long, springing from a small tubercular base.
This is a variable insect in size, colour, edge of abdomen, and
spinnerets. On the bark of _Pittosporum eugenioide_ a variety has
the extremity of the second pellicle richly floriated, other features
remaining as above. It has not been thought advisable to erect all
these varieties into different species.
The male pupa, in its earlier state, is elongated, segmented, and may
be mistaken for a female of _Mytilaspis drimydis_; but differs in its
greyish-yellow colour, and also in the form of the puparium.
Habitat--On _Atherosperma Novæ Zælandiæ_; _Astelia cunninghamii_;
_Coprosma_, sp. var.; _Pittosporum eugenioide_, &c.; Wellington;
Canterbury; Hawke's Bay; Otago; Nelson; Auckland.
The puparia of this insect are frequently covered by a species of
torulaceous (?) fungus which spreads over the leaf they are on in a
thin, brown sheet.
27. Fiorinia grossulariæ, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 123.
Female puparium irregularly oval, being formed chiefly by the second
pellicle, with a narrow edge of fibrous secretion; length, about 1/20in.
Adult female elongated; segmented; the cephalic end slightly prolonged
into a compressed cylinder. Segments bearing at the edge three sharp
spines. The edge of the abdominal segment is much broken by serrations,
and ends in two broadish median lobes, with two smaller lobes on each
side. Several sharp, long spines are set in pairs along the serrated
edge. Five groups of spinnerets, the three upper forming a continuous
arch. Colour of insect, dark-grey.
Adult male and puparium unknown.
Habitat--On gooseberries, Amberley, Canterbury.
A doubtful species.
28. Fiorinia minima, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 122.
Female puparium flat, elongated, oval; length, about 1/36in. First
pellicle, comparatively large; the second almost fills the puparium.
Male puparium rather longer than that of the female, but much narrower;
carinated.
Adult female elongated; segmented; colour, pink. The abdominal segment
somewhat long, the edge broken by a number of deepish curvilinear
serrations, and ending in two inconspicuous median lobes, with three
others, much smaller, on each side. From the serrations spring some
hairs. There are five groups of spinnerets, but the three upper ones,
almost or quite conjoined, form a nearly-continuous arch, containing
forty to fifty orifices; the two lower groups have fifteen to twenty.
There are several single spinnerets. The adult insect, before
gestation, nearly fills the space covered by the second pellicle; after
gestation it shrinks up into very small compass at the cephalic end of
the puparium.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Brachyglottis repanda_; _Panax arboreum_, Port Hills,
Canterbury.
Differs from the European species, _F. pellucida_ (Targioni), in its
extremely-minute size, in the serrations of the abdomen, and the number
of its hairs. Also in _F. pellucida_ the young female larva has two
tubercles between the antennæ, which are not seen in _F. minima_.
29. Fiorinia stricta, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 124; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 24.
(Plate VI., Fig. 7.)
Female puparium elongated, narrow, with sides almost straight and
parallel; length, about 1/11in.; breadth, about 1/50in. Colour of
secretion, white, but seeming black, as the second pellicle shows
through it. First pellicle, black, small, at one end; the cephalic
portion prolonged in a slightly-cylindrical form. Second pellicle,
very long, filling the puparium; black; entire for most of its length,
but at the abdominal extremity cut across by transverse divisions
forming narrow radiating segments; extreme edge semi-circular, sharply
serrated. Texture, horny, hard, and strong.
Male puparium elongated, narrow, like that of the female; length, about
1/12in.; colour white; pellicle, black, at one end; not carinated.
Some puparia, both male and female, are found slightly curved.
Adult female small, elongated, segmented; length, about 1/30in.,
shrivelling at gestation. Cephalic portion compressed, cylindrical.
Abdomen somewhat elongated, ending in a number of sharp-pointed,
triangular, tooth-like lobes, between which may be made out a few
(four?) very minute, roundly-triangular lobes. Five groups of
spinnerets, the three upper groups almost joined in an arch; in the
arch, forty to fifty orifices; in the two lower groups, ten to fifteen.
Adult male, brown. Antennæ, ten-jointed; each joint except the first
two long and hairy; on the last joint one hair longer than the rest,
and ending in a knob. Legs, slender; claw, very thin; digitules, fine
hairs.
Habitat--On _Dendrobium_, sp., _Hedycarya_, sp., Hawke's Bay; _Phormium
tenax_, _Cordyline australis_, _Astelia cunninghamii_, _Muhlenbeckia_,
sp., Wellington; Canterbury; Nelson.
Group II.--LECANIDINÆ.
Female insects flat, convex, or globular; elongated or circular; naked,
or covered with waxy, horny, glassy, cottony, or felted secretion
forming a covering or test. Adults sometimes apodous and without
antennæ. Abdomen in all stages exhibiting a more or less defined cleft,
and, above or beside it, on the dorsal surface, two more or less
conspicuous, roughly triangular, lobes. Mentum usually monomerous or
dimerous.
Male larvæ resembling females. Male pupæ covered with a test of
secretion, waxy or glassy. Male adults not greatly differing from
Diaspidinæ; abdominal spike usually short and thick.
SUBDIVISIONS AND GENERA.
Subdivision I.
Insects covering themselves with a secretion, composed
chiefly of waxy, horny, or glassy matter
Lecanodiaspidæ.
Test of female horny, partly formed of the second pellicle
Lecanochiton.
Test of female waxy, with a single fringe of broad segments
at the edge
Ctenochiton.
Test of female glassy, elevated, striated with air-cells
Inglisia.
_Not yet represented in New Zealand._
Test of female waxy, produced into radiating branches
Vinsonia.
Test of female waxy, without fringe or branches
Ceroplastes.
Test of female waxy, elevated, not striated with air-cells
Fairmairia.
Tests agglomerated in a waxy mass containing colonies of
insects, male and female
Carteria.
Test of female absent; tests of males aggregated in a waxy
mass
Ericerus.
Subdivision II.
Female insects naked
Lecanidæ.
Females propagating without ovisac, arboreal
Lecanium.
Females constructing ovisac, arboreal
Pulvinaria.
_Not yet represented in New Zealand._
Females propagating without ovisac, subterranean, retaining
feet and antennæ
Lecanopsis.
Females propagating without ovisac, subterranean, losing
feet and antennæ
Aclerda.
Note.--The genus _Physokermes_, Targioni-Tozzetti, is placed
by Signoret (loc. cit., 1874, p. 87) amongst those which here form this
subdivision; but there seems to be no sufficient distinction between it
and _Lecanium_.
Subdivision III.
Insects covering themselves with secretion of cottony or
felted matter
Lecano-Coccidæ.
Secretion felted, scarcely apparent on adult female,
conspicuous on male pupæ and female of early stages; edge
fringed
Eriochiton.
_Not yet represented in New Zealand._
Secretion felted, appearing only in the last stage, after
gestation
Signoretia.
Secretion felted, forming a nearly complete sac on adult
female before gestation
Lecanodiaspis.
Secretion felted, forming complete sac on adult female
Philippia.
Secretion cottony, covering adult female only after
gestation
Lichtensia.
Secretion cottony, forming a complete sac on adult female
before gestation
Eriopeltis.
Subdivision I.--LECANODIASPIDÆ, Targioni-Tozzetti.
Female insects exhibiting in all stages the abdominal cleft and lobes.
Larvæ free, naked, active. Females after the first metamorphosis
constructing over themselves a carapace, shield, or (as called herein)
test, of glassy, waxy, or horny secretion. Test apparently homogeneous,
really in most cases formed of aggregated segments over the insect,
and prolonged beyond the body in a flat single fringe of separate,
more or less triangular or quadrate, segments. Fringe not always
present or conspicuous in all stages. Males, after first metamorphosis,
constructing a test of similar character but varying form.
This subdivision, when first established by Targioni-Tozzetti, included
only the four genera _Pollinia_, _Asterolecanium_, _Planchonia_, and
_Lecanodiaspis_, all of which are apodous in the adult stage of the
female. In this work the two first of these are included in a new
group, Hemi-Coccidinæ; _Planchonia_ belongs to the group
Coccidinæ; _Lecanodiaspis_ is left in the present subdivision.
For the reasons leading to these changes, and the inclusion in this
subdivision of insects retaining the feet in all stages, see N.Z.
Transactions, Vol. XI., 1878, p. 207, and Vol. XVI., 1883, pp. 125-128.
Genus: LECANOCHITON, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 222.
Test of adult female horny in texture, formed partly of secretion,
partly of the pellicle of the second stage; abdominal cleft and lobes
normal.
30. Lecanochiton metrosideri, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 222; Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 129.
(Plate VII., Fig. 1.)
Test of adult female brown, hard, horny-looking, convex, slightly
elongated, open beneath, loosely attached to twigs by the edges; at the
top is the pellicle of the second stage, which is flat, and gives the
test the appearance of an overturned basket, of which the pellicle is
the foot. Length of test about 1/15in. Remains of the thin white test
of the second stage may sometimes be seen on the pellicle.
Test of the male small, white, glassy, elongated, convex.
The young insect, extremely minute, naked and active, is flat, oval,
brown, or rather reddish, usually found at the tips of young shoots or
on leaves. The antennæ have six joints; on the last joint are several
hairs, amongst which is one excessively long, slightly knobbed. Foot
normal; the joints hairy; upper digitules fine knobbed hairs, lower
pair a little broader.
In the second stage the female is scarcely altered: the antennæ and
feet remain as before; but there is a test, white, waxy, very thin,
covering the dorsal surface, and extending a little beyond the edge
in an irregular fringe. On the edge also are a number of protruding
spinneret tubes, glassy, white, cylindrical, either curved or straight:
a few of these tubes protrude on the surface of the back.
Adult female dark-brown in colour, filling the test; convex above,
flat beneath. Rostrum comparatively large; mentum probably monomerous.
Antennæ short, thick, atrophied; seven-jointed, but the joints are
much confused; on the last joint some hairs. Feet absent. Four rows of
rather large spinnerets radiate from the median region of the dorsum
to the edge, and along these, on the lower side of the test, are
corresponding narrow lines of white cottony secretion.
This insect is viviparous, the young being sheltered awhile by the
mother, whose under-side becomes concave during gestation.
Adult male dark-red; length, about 1/40in. Antennæ of ten joints, of
which the two first are very short; the third much longer and expanded
at the end; the fourth more than twice as long as the third; the
remainder about equal in length to the third, but thicker and rounder,
being almost moniliform. All but the first two joints bear hairs. Foot
normal; digitules fine hairs.
Habitat--On _Metrosideros robusta_ (Rata), Milford Sound; Bluff
Harbour. On _M. tomentosa_ (Pohutukawa), Auckland.
A peculiar species, easily identifiable by the presence of the second
pellicle on the female test.
Genus: CTENOCHITON, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 208.
Test of female waxy, with a single fringe of tooth-like, more or less
broad, segments round the edge.
Test of male waxy or glassy, with similar fringe.
The edge of the body, in the second stage of the female, usually
presents a wavy appearance, formed by a series of reentering curves.
This is perhaps most conspicuous in _Ct. perforatus_.
The antennæ of the adult female have six or seven joints. It is often
very difficult to determine the number, as the third joint exhibits
frequently a shallow circular depression or ring which may easily be
mistaken for a division.
During gestation the female, which at first fills the test, shrivels
up at one end into a shapeless mass requiring maceration in potash to
restore the original form for examination. The test thus becomes almost
filled with eggs.
The presence of the fringe, which is noticeable in every species of
this genus at some time or other, distinguishes it from _Ceroplastes_
and _Vinsonia_. In _Ctenochiton viridis_ the test is not to be made out
in the adult stage but is clearly visible in the second stage of the
female, and it is present, with the characteristic fringe, for the male.
31. Ctenochiton depressus, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 132.
(Plate VII., Fig. 2.)
Test of adult female flat, nearly circular, thin, waxy,
greyish-coloured; fringe inconspicuous or sometimes absent. No
perforations or rows of air-cells. Diameter, about 1/7in.
The fringe is more conspicuous in the test of the second stage.
Test of male elongated, narrow, flat beneath, slightly convex above,
white, glassy, thin and brittle, with a conspicuous fringe of which
the segments are truncato-triangular. The test is divided into
tessellations, the median row of which is quadrangular, with two series
of pentagonal divisions between it and the fringe. Near the abdominal
extremity a transverse narrow slit cuts the test in two, leaving a
small segment at the extreme end apparently separate. Length of the
test about 1/14in.
Adult female filling the test, but shrivelling after gestation; colour
brownish or grey. Antennæ of six joints, the third being the longest,
and, as is commonly the case in the genus, often appearing like two. On
the last joint a few long hairs. Foot normal; the upper digitules are
fine hairs, the lower pair only a little broader. Anal ring and lobes
normal.
In the second stage the usual wavy edge is conspicuous; the test is
thin, glassy, with normal fringe. Antennæ and feet normal. The insect
is somewhat thick, with yellowish colour.
Young insect normal.
Adult male yellowish-red in colour, about 1/25in. in length, exclusive
of the wings. General form normal. Antennæ long, with ten joints, all
long and equal, except the two first, which are very short: all the
joints have several hairs. Legs normal, but the tibiæ are very long and
slender, and only a little thickened at the tip; tarsi somewhat thick;
digitules fine hairs. Abdominal spike long, and very slightly curved.
Habitat--On _Plagianthus_, _Cyathea_, &c.; Hawke's Bay.
This insect resembles, to the naked eye, somewhat nearly _Ctenochiton
perforatus_, but the female differs in the absence of the curious
perforations in the test of that species, and in the shorter and
thicker antennæ, with also more long hairs on the last joint. The test
of the male is also different.
32. Ctenochiton elæocarpi, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 26.
(Plate VII., Fig. 3.)
Test of adult female oval, nearly circular, black in colour, divided
into hexagonal and pentagonal segments which are not conspicuous,
and of which the median series forms a very slightly elevated ridge
somewhat lighter in colour. The test is only slightly convex. The
fringe is very long and conspicuous, the segments tooth-like. Diameter
of test, exclusive of the fringe, reaches 1/6in.
Test of male unknown.
Test of second stage of female white, waxy, not homogeneous, but built
up of a number of loosely-aggregated tubuliform plates, somewhat
resembling those of the genus _Orthezia_, Bosc. The fringe of this test
is longer than in that of the adult, the teeth curling in different
ways. Length of test and fringe, sometimes 1/8in.
The adult female fills the test, shrivelling at gestation. Colour
black. Antennæ somewhat long, of seven joints; a few hairs on the last
joint. Foot normal; upper digitules strong and thick, lower pair very
broad. On the skin are a number of large oval spots which appear to be
the orifices of spinneret tubes.
Female of the second stage wanting the usual wavy edge of the genus.
Round the edge of the body is a row of sharp conical spines set
closely together. Antennæ of six somewhat confused joints. Feet normal.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Elæocarpus dentatus_ (hinau), Wellington.
The large size, black colour, and very conspicuous fringe of the adult
female test, and the white loose test of the second stage, distinguish
this species, especially from _Ct. fuscus_.
33. Ctenochiton elongatus, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 212.
(Plate VII., Fig. 4.)
Test of adult female elongated, narrow, convex. Length sometimes
reaching 1/3in., width about 1/10in. Fringe not always conspicuous; the
segments quadrate outwardly. Test divided into quadrangular divisions.
Colour whitish, but often blackened by fungoid growths.
Test of male unknown.
Adult female filling the test, shrivelling at gestation. Edge of
the body wavy. Stigmatic spines long and conspicuous. Antennæ
seven-jointed. Feet normal; lower digitules absent (?).
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Geniostoma ligustrifolium_, Auckland; on _Dendrobium_ sp.,
Hawke's Bay; on _Earina_ sp., Wellington.
Easily recognized by the great length and narrowness of the female test.
34. Ctenochiton flavus, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 130; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 26.
(Plate VII., Fig. 5.)
Female test golden, waxy, flat beneath, convex above; outline circular
or slightly elliptical, with a fringe of broadly triangular segments
round the edge. Apex of the test an irregular elongated mass of wax,
the remainder divided into two concentric series of plates, the inner
series pentagonal with sharp angles, the outer pentagonal with rounded
angles and with the outer side forming the base of the segments of the
fringe. The inner series forms often irregular lumps of wax. Diameter
of test sometimes reaching 1/9in. The colour is often hidden by black
fungoid growths.
Test of male much narrower than that of the female, having an
irregularly rectangular edge with deep curvilinear depressions. It is
glassy, white and shining, flat beneath and elevated above, and marked
with numerous horizontal striæ. The upper central portion is sometimes
flat, sometimes an irregular mass of the glassy secretion. On the lower
side there is often a plate of secretion, so that the pupa is almost
entirely enclosed.
The adult female fills the test, shrivelling up after gestation: it
is consequently flat beneath, convex above, with general outline of
Lecanidinæ. The spiracular spines are very long and conspicuous; from
their base a double row of minute circular spinneret orifices runs as
far as the spiracle, with two or three outlying ones at the base of
the spine; and a single row of the same kind of orifices runs across
the body to the spiracle on the other side. Along the edge of the body
there is a series of conical sharp spines; and scattered all over are
many tubular projecting spinnerets. The abdominal cleft is deep, and
the two lobes are conspicuous on the dorsal side; these lobes are not
smooth, but irregular, and each bears at the end three or four strong
spines. The antennæ have six joints; but the third joint often looks
like two on account of the false division or depressed ring: the last
joint has several long hairs. Feet normal; the upper digitules fine
long hairs, the lower pair very broad. The anal ring bears a number of
long hairs, of which eight seem to be conspicuous. The colour of the
insect is a golden brown; diameter averaging 1/12in.
The second stage of the female is normal of the genus, showing the
wavy outline, somewhat strongly marked in many specimens, but not
conspicuous in others. The spiracular spines are prominent, and a row
of conical spines runs round the edge of the body, as in the adult. The
test is at first very thin and brittle, and with a fringe of broad,
shallow segments; but afterwards becomes thicker, and in the end,
before the change to the final stage, it approaches almost the form of
the waxy test of an adult _Ceroplastes_.
The young insect is normal.
The adult male is normal of the genus. The legs are very long and
slender; the four digitules are fine hairs. At the extremity of the
tibia there is a strong spine. Abdominal spike, or sheath of the penis,
slightly curved, with a seta on each side of its basal tubercle.
Antennæ of ten joints; the first two very short, the rest longer and
equal. On the last joint are several long hairs, of which three are
knobbed.
Habitat--On _Brachyglottis repanda_, _Panax arboreum_, _Leptospermum
scoparium_ (manuka), _Elæocarpus dentatus_ (hinau); Wellington.
The species is distinguishable by the shape and colour of the test and
the arrangement of the spinnerets, in the adult female. The tests of
the second stage may sometimes be taken for adult _Ceroplastes rusci_,
Linn.; but can be easily distinguished on examination of the enclosed
insect.
35. Ctenochiton fuscus, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 131.
(Plate VII., Fig. 6.)
Test of the adult female elliptical in outline, flat below, convex
above, the elevation being greater than usual; almost black in colour,
composed of a thin dark waxy secretion. The fringe is conspicuous, and
has the appearance of teeth, the segments being sharply triangular and
set closely together. Length of test sometimes nearly 1/4in., breadth
1/7in., height 1/10in. Inside of the test whitish.
Test of male glassy, white, elongated, slightly convex.
Adult female filling the test, shrivelling at gestation. Antennæ short,
probably seven-jointed, but the joints are confused; on the last joint
several hairs. Foot having the tibia expanded at the extremity; upper
digitules strong and thick, lower pair ending in conspicuously broad
plates. On the edge of the body a row of conical spines. Colour almost
black.
In the second stage the female is less wavy in outline than in other
species of the genus, and in its later period is somewhat thick, with
the edges turned inwards. Feet normal; digitules fine. Antennæ short
and thick, with six joints, of which the third and fourth are the
longest; on the last joint some long hairs. The abdominal lobes are
irregularly triangular.
Young insect normal.
Adult male unknown.
Habitat--On _Brachyglottis repanda_, _Panax arboreum_; Port Hills,
Canterbury (Dry Bush).
Distinguished by its large size, great convexity, and black colour,
which is not due to fungoid growths, although these, as usual,
accompany it.
36. Ctenochiton hymenantheræ, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 25.
(Plate VIII., Fig. 1.)
Test of adult female waxy, circular, convex, dirty-white, yellow,
or brownish, formed of a number of hexagonal or octagonal segments,
which are also convex, giving it a rough appearance. Fringe not very
conspicuous. Diameter of test, about 1/12in.
Test of male glassy, dirty-white, oval, segmented, slightly convex,
segments of fringe small. Length, about 1/16in.
Adult female yellowish-brown, filling the test. Antennæ of six joints,
of which both the second and third seem sometimes double. Foot normal;
upper digitules long fine hairs, lower pair broad. The spiracular
spines are strong and conspicuous. The skin is divided into segments
corresponding with those of the test, the divisions being marked by
lines of spinneret orifices which are small and simple.
In the second stage the usual wavy edge of the genus is not generally
apparent.
Adult male somewhat thick and short. Antennæ of nine joints, the first
short and thick, the remainder long and nearly equal; each joint after
the first has many nodosities, from which spring longish hairs. Foot
long and slender, especially the tibia. Digitules fine hairs. Thoracic
band inconspicuous. Abdominal spike short and blunt.
This species is usually accompanied by a great quantity of very black
fungus covering and rendering unsightly the whole plant on which it
lives.
Habitat--On _Hymenanthera crassifolia_, Evans Bay, Wellington.
This insect seems to be intermediate between _C. piperis_ and _C.
depressus_, differing from both in the rugose female test and the
distribution of the spinneret orifices.
37. Ctenochiton perforatus, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 280; Vol. XVI., 1883, p. 130.
(Plate VIII., Fig. 2.)
Test of adult female white, waxy, circular, nearly flat, brittle,
thin except at the edge. Fringe thin, segments broadly triangular.
Diameter nearly 1/6in. The test is divided by narrow lines of minute
spots, corresponding to the spinneret orifices of the insect, into
rows of pentagonal or hexagonal segments. The interior segments are
only dotted, but the exterior row exhibits curvilinear series of small
perforations or air-cells arranged in slightly radiating rows, which
extend also to the corresponding segments of the fringe.
The test of the second stage of the female is very thin and filmy,
waxy, flat, slightly elongated; the fringe as in the adult; but there
are no perforations or air-cells. Length, about 1/14in.
Test of male waxy, thin, slightly elongated, rather convex; length,
about 1/15in. Fringe and air-cells as in the female test. At the
abdominal end is a joint or hinge separating the last segment.
Adult female filling the test, shrivelling at gestation; colour greyish
or greenish-white. General appearance somewhat leathery. Rows of minute
oval spinnerets run round the edge and across the body, corresponding
with the divisions of the test. Antennæ of six joints, the third joint
being the longest, and seeming double on account of the depressed ring:
on the last joint some hairs. Feet normal, with somewhat thick coxæ and
femora: upper digitules long; lower pair narrow. Anal ring with eight
hairs. A row of scattered small hairs runs round the edge of the body.
Female of second stage very thin and transparent, seeming like a
bluish-green film. The wavy edge is conspicuous. Antennæ of six joints.
Adult male yellowish. Antennæ nine-jointed, every joint except the
first bearing several hairs. Feet normal; upper digitules not long,
lower pair fine hairs. Thoracic band conspicuous and long. Abdominal
spike short.
Habitat--On _Pittosporum eugenioide_, _P. tenuifolium_, _Panax
arboreum_, _Coprosma lucida_, _Rubus_, &c., Riccarton Bush,
Christchurch; Nelson; Dunedin; Wellington.
38. Ctenochiton piperis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 218; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 25.
(Plate VIII., Fig. 3.)
Test of adult female circular, convex, regularly tessellated in
hexagonal segments; fringe not very regular, sometimes almost or quite
absent; waxy, somewhat thick; diameter, about 1/15in. Colour variable;
outer parts white, yellow, or greenish-white, central segments purplish.
Test of second stage of female waxy, very thin, flat, with fringe of
broadly triangular segments: no air-cells. Length, about 1/30in.
Test of male elongated, convex, glassy, segmented. Length, about
1/20in. Slightly coloured like that of the female.
Adult female filling the test. Colour corresponding with that of the
test. At gestation the under-side becomes hollow, and the young are
sheltered beneath it for awhile. Antennæ seven-jointed; on the last
joint several hairs. Feet normal; lower digitules rather broad. Round
the dorsal surface, half-way between the centre and the edge, is a row
of swellings[O] or tubercles.
[O] Possibly spiracular.
Female of second stage elongated, the cephalic portion narrower than
the abdomen; flat, thin; edge wavy; stigmatic spines rather stout; a
few small spines on the edge. Antennæ six-jointed; feet normal.
Young insect of normal form, but with numerous minute wrinkles on the
edge of the body.
Adult male greenish-yellow; antennæ nine-jointed. Foot normal, with
somewhat thick tarsus. Penis ending in a round, somewhat large knob.
Habitat--On _Piper excelsum_ (kawakawa); Auckland, Hawke's Bay,
Wellington.
The regularly-circular form and coloured segments of the female test,
and the tubercles of the dorsum, distinguish this species.
39. Ctenochiton viridis, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 211; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 24.
(Plate IX., Fig. 1.)
Test of adult female absent or fragmentary; very thin, waxy, white,
divided into pentagonal or hexagonal segments, each of which exhibits
numerous concentric wavy curves, crossed by straight lines radiating
from the centre;[P] the segments are separated by double lines of
minute spots, corresponding to the spinneret orifices of the insect. No
air-cells. Fringe seldom visible.
[P] The radiating lines and concentric curves of these segments are
usually somewhat conspicuous, at least on the adult female, and serve
to distinguish the test from that of _C. elongatus_, which otherwise
resembles it.
Test of female of second stage very thin, white, waxy, flat, divided
into segments with concentric curves and radiating lines as in the
adult. Fringe of broad segments. No air-cells. Length, about 1/15in.
Test of male glassy, white, elongated, slightly convex, divided into
segments similarly marked to those of the female. Abdominal segments
separated from the test by a transverse line, or hinge. Length, about
1/6in.
Adult female bright-green in colour, thick, elongated or pyriform,
the cephalic portion somewhat acuminate; length sometimes reaching
1/2in. It produces a conspicuous depression in the leaf, in which the
body is partially buried. Antennæ of six joints (apparently seven, but
the third joint shows the false division or depressed ring), often
atrophied. Feet normal, coxæ and femora thick. After gestation the
insect frequently becomes brown, covered with a mass of white mealy or
felted secretion.
Female of the second stage thin, filmy, translucent; flat, elongated,
with wavy outline; colour green; length, about 1/20in. Antennæ of six
joints.
Adult male greenish-yellow; length, about 1/15in. Antennæ of nine
joints. Feet normal; digitules absent. A strong spine at the extremity
of the tibia.
Habitat--On _Panax arboreum_, _Coprosma lucida_, _Hedycarya dentata_,
_Atherosperma Novæ-Zælandiæ_, _Rubus australis_; Canterbury, Otago,
Wellington, Nelson, Auckland, Hawke's Bay.
This is probably the largest known species of the Lecanidinæ. Its size
and bright-green colour in the adult state clearly distinguish it. The
female of the second stage resembles nearly that of _Ct. perforatus_,
but is somewhat thicker, and the markings of the segments of the test
are different.
Genus: INGLISIA, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 213.
Test of female glassy, elevated, striated with radiating rows of
air-cells. Fringe not always present in the adult stage.
In the genus _Fairmairia_, Signoret, there is also an elevated test,
but it is waxy, and exhibits no air-cells, and has no fringe in any
stage.
40. Inglisia leptospermi, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 220; Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 27.
(Plate IX., Fig. 2.)
Test of adult female white, glassy or waxy, elongated, convex above,
flat and open beneath, formed of several agglutinated segments, each
segment more or less convex or conical, median segments usually five
in number; at the edge an irregular fringe, but the fringe is often
absent. Average length of test, 1/10in. The marginal segments sometimes
assume the form of small cones, as if a number of secondary tests were
attached to the principal one. All the segments are marked with striæ
radiating from the apex of each: the striæ, which are composed of
air-cells, widen from the apex to the base.
Test of the male white, glassy, elongated, convex, not unlike that of
the female, but with a longer fringe; it has also its posterior segment
divided from the rest by a transverse slit or hinge; average length,
about 1/15in.
Adult female filling the test, shrivelling at gestation; colour brown;
abdominal lobes yellow, conspicuous. The flat under-surface is smooth;
the dorsum divided by large corrugations, each segment corresponding
to one in the test. Antennæ of seven joints, of which the third is
the longest, the fourth, fifth, and sixth the shortest; a few hairs,
especially on the last joint. Feet normal; the tibia is somewhat thin,
and has one spine or hair at its tip. Digitules normal; upper pair long
knobbed hairs, lower pair very broad.
The female in the second stage is also convex above, flat below, but
is less thick than the adult, and has not the corrugations. General
form elongated-oval; the abdominal lobes are not, as usual, smooth,
but approach by irregularity the anal tubercles of the Coccidinæ, and
like them bear a few hairs. The anal ring has eight hairs. Antennæ of
six joints. Feet normal; digitules as in adult. On the skin are several
scattered, circular, very minute spinnerets; the stigmatic spines are
long and conspicuous, and along the edge runs a row of conical hairs or
spines.
Adult male yellowish-green in colour, the body slender and tapering.
From the abdomen spring two very long white cottony setæ, one on each
side of the spike, which is straight and short. Antennæ of ten joints;
the first two short, the rest long, thin, and hairy. Of these, the
seventh, eighth, and ninth are the shortest; on the last joint three
long knobbed hairs. Feet slender, hairy; digitules normal. Thoracic
band inconspicuous.
Habitat--On _Leptospermum scoparium_ (manuka); Christchurch, Kaiapoi,
Wellington, Auckland. It affects the twigs of the plant, and not the
leaves.
41. Inglisia ornata, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 27.
(Plate X., Fig. 1.)
Test of adult female reddish-brown, the base more or less oval, the
rest elevated in a cone and ending in a prominence standing up like
a more or less sharp horn; sometimes there are two of these horns.
The test is formed of a number of polygonal segments, each slightly
elevated, and all are marked with the radiating striæ peculiar to the
genus. There is a fringe of sharply triangular segments, also striated.
Average length of test, about 1/6in., but specimens attain a length of
1/4in.; height, about 1/10in.
Test of second stage generally resembling that of the adult, but
smaller and less conical, and more tinged with green; and at the edge a
number of short spinneret tubes may be seen protruding.
Test of the male elongated-oval, convex, but wanting the prominent horn
of the female, glassy, white tinged with yellowish-brown, composed of
segments marked with conspicuous striæ. Length, 1/12in. Fringe often
present, but irregular; often absent.
The adult female fills the test, shrivelling after gestation. It
exhibits the horn, or two horns, as in the test. Antennæ of seven
joints, the third joint showing the false division noted in other
species of Lecanodiaspidæ. Feet normal; upper digitules strong and
thick, lower pair rather broad. Along the edge of the body is a row of
sharp lanceolate spines set closely together, and the spiracular spines
are long and conspicuous. A double or triple row of minute circular
spinnerets marks the divisions corresponding to the segments of the
test. Colour of the insect greenish, turning brown after gestation. The
abdominal lobes are brown.
In the second stage the female resembles generally the adult; but the
antennæ have six joints, and amongst the marginal spines are some very
much larger than the rest.
The young larva is flat and oval, and at the margin shows a fringe of
long glassy pointed tubes, springing from the marginal spines.
The adult male is about 1/20in. in length (exclusive of the wings),
brownish or reddish-yellow in colour, the wings hyaline and iridescent,
with red nervures. Antennæ of ten joints, on the last of which are,
amongst others, three long knobbed hairs. Foot with a spine at the
extremity of the tibia; digitules fine hairs. At each side of the
abdominal spike springs a strong seta, from which extends a white
cottony pencil, as long as the body of the insect. The penis is a long
soft cylindrical tube covered with minute recurved spines. Thoracic
band short and narrow.
Habitat--On _Elæocarpus dentatus_ (hinau), _Leptospermum scoparium_
(manuka); Wellington.[Q]
[Q] The male pupæ may be found not unfrequently on other plants, such as
_Coprosma_, _Pittosporum_, &c.
This is a handsome species: the colour and the horns of the test are
clear distinctions.
42. Inglisia patella, Maskell.
N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 213; Vol. XIV., 1881, p. 219.
(Plate X., Fig. 2.)
Test of adult female conical or limpet-shaped, white, glassy, slightly
elongated, striated with rows of air-cells radiating from the apex, and
increasing in size to the edge. Length of test, about 1/14in.; height,
about 1/40in. The edge is usually very wavy.
Test of male similar, but a little smaller and more elongated.
Adult female filling the test, shrivelling at gestation. Colour
greenish-yellow. Edge wavy, corresponding to the curves of the test.
Antennæ very short, six-jointed; on the last three joints some hairs.
Feet normal; upper digitules very long, lower pair narrow. On the edge
of the body is a row of spines, of which each alternate one is conical,
the remainder club-shaped; the edge seems double or ribbon-like, and
inside it is a row of spinnerets, beyond which is a narrow line of
short regular curves. Abdominal cleft wide and circular above, the
extremities almost meeting. Anal ring with eight long hairs.
Female of second stage flattish, elongated, wavy-edged; not exhibiting
alternate conical and clavate spines.
Young larva naked, flat, active; round the edge a row of clavate
spines, but no conical spines. Length, about 1/50in.
Adult male greenish-yellow; length, 1/24in. Antennæ of ten joints, all
except the first bearing hairs. Foot normal; digitules fine hairs.
Abdominal spike about half the length of the abdomen, with two long
white setæ springing from the basal tubercle.
Habitat--On _Coprosma lucida_, Riccarton Bush, Christchurch; _Drimys
colorata_, (plentifully) on hill above Lyttelton; _Atherosperma_,
Wellington.
A very pretty little species, clearly distinguished by the form of the
test and the alternate spines of the adult female.
Subdivision II.--LECANIDÆ.
Female insects naked in all stages; form variable; apodous in adult
stage, or retaining the feet; viviparous or oviparous, with or without
attached ovisac; abdominal cleft and lobes always present. Male pupæ in
some cases covered with waxy secretion.
Genus: LECANIUM, Illiger.
Females naked, flat or convex; viviparous or oviparous; propagating
without ovisac; arboreal.
Dr. Signoret (loc. cit., 1873, p. 396) divides the genus into six
series, as follows:--
(1.) Species flat, usually viviparous; example, _L. hesperidum_.
(2.) Species more or less convex, elongated; example, _L. persicæ_.
(3.) Species more or less globular, the skin tessellated; example,
_L. aceris_.
(4.) Species more or less globular, the skin perforated with oval
markings; example, _L. hemisphæricum_.
(5.) Species rugose, with dorsal keels; example, _L. oleæ_.
(6.) Species globular, with cleft beneath for attachment to twigs;
example, _L. emerici_.
The following are the only species reported as yet in New Zealand; but
the genus is so widely spread and the species are so numerous that
doubtless many others will hereafter occur in this country.
43. Lecanium depressum, Targioni-Tozzetti, Catal. (1868),
37, 8; Stud. sul Coccin., 29.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 206.
(Plate XI., Fig. 1.)
Adult female elongated, somewhat acuminate at the cephalic end,
slightly convex; reddish-brown; skin marked with two dorsal keels and
numerous irregular tessellations, finely punctate. Antennæ of eight
joints; on the first two and the last three joints some hairs. Feet
normal, rather long; one of the lower digitules is larger than the
other. Length of insect, about 1/10in.
Male unknown.
Habitat in New Zealand--On plants in greenhouses; Christchurch,
Wellington. In Europe, on _Ficus_, in hothouses.
This insect belongs to Signoret's fifth series.
44. Lecanium hemisphæricum, Targioni-Tozzetti, Stud. sul
Coccin., 27.
_Chermes filicum_, Boisduval (1867), 336; Targioni, Catal.,
1868, 38, 17.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 29.
(Plate XI., Fig. 2.)
Adult female hemispherical, with broad flattened edges; reddish-brown;
diameter, about 1/15in. Skin regularly marked with oval perforations;
no keels. Antennæ of eight joints. Feet normal, thin. Anal ring with
eight hairs.
Male unknown.
Habitat in New Zealand--On Camellia, Hutt Valley, Wellington; in
Europe, on _Dracæna australis_; in America, on various greenhouse
plants (Comstock). Query--Does the European habitat denote an
Australian origin?
This insect belongs to Signoret's fourth series.
45. Lecanium hesperidum, Linnæus.
_L. hesperidum_, Linnæus, Syst. Nat., 1735, II., 739, 1;
Faun. Suec., 1746, 1015.
_Coccus hesperidum_, various authors.
_Calymnatus hesperidum_, Costa, Nuov. Osserv., 1835?
_Calypticus hesperidum_, Costa, Faun. Ins. Nap. Gall-insect.,
1837, 8, 1; Lubbock, Proc. Roy. Soc., IX., 480; Beck,
Trans. Roy. Micr. Soc., 1861, 47, &c.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 205.
_The Holly and Ivy Scale._
(Plate XI., Fig. 3.)
Adult female naked; yellow, brown, or reddish; flat or slightly convex;
elongated; skin smooth, sparsely punctate; length averaging 1/10in.,
but specimens reach sometimes 1/5in. Antennæ of seven joints; a few
hairs on most, but the seventh has several. Abdominal cleft and lobes
normal. Feet normal. On the edge of a body a row of small hairs, not
set closely together. Viviparous; at gestation the under-side becomes
concave, forming a shelter for the young; and this cavity is often
of a blood-red colour. On the under-side may be seen sometimes four
cottony trails starting from the region of the four stigmata.
Young larva reddish-brown; oval, flat; antennæ of six joints. From the
abdominal lobes spring two long setæ.
Male unknown.
Habitat in New Zealand--Everywhere, on ivy, holly, camellia, orange,
laurel, myrtle, box, and many other plants out of doors or in
greenhouses. In Europe, chiefly on ivy and oranges, but frequently on
other plants. In America on many plants.
This is the commonest of the Lecanidæ in this country; it may be
distinguished from _L. mori_ (below) by its flatness and sparse
punctuation.
This insect belongs to Signoret's first series.
46. Lecanium hibernaculorum, Targioni-Tozzetti, Catal. (1868),
37, 9.
_Chermes hibernaculorum_, Boisduval, Ent. Hort., 1867, 337.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 207.
Adult female nearly globular; naked; reddish-brown; diameter about
1/9in.; at gestation the body becomes simply an inverted bag covering
the eggs and young. The insect appears to be partly oviparous, partly
viviparous. Antennæ of eight joints. Feet normal. Skin pretty regularly
marked with oval perforations.
Male unknown.
Habitat in New Zealand--On various greenhouse plants, Christchurch. In
Europe on _Brexia_, _Phajus_, &c.
The insect belongs to Signoret's fourth series, and may perhaps be only
a large variety of _L. hemisphæricum_.
47. Lecanium maculatum, Signoret, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. de
France, 1873, p. 400.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 207.
Adult female naked; flat, elongated; dorsal skin marked with a median
row of rather large oval spots reaching from the abdominal cleft to the
region of the rostrum. Length, about 1/15in. Colour yellowish-brown.
Antennæ of seven joints. Feet normal.
Male unknown.
Habitat in New Zealand--On _Bavardia_, in hothouses, Christchurch. In
Europe on ivy.
This insect belongs to Signoret's first series: the dorsal spots
distinguish it from _L. hesperidum_.
48. Lecanium mori, Signoret, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. de France,
1873, p. 407.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 29.
(Plate XI., Fig. 4.)
Adult female naked; elongated, convex; reddish; length, about 1/9in.
Skin smooth, without spots, tessellations, or keels. Antennæ of seven
joints. Feet normal.
Adult male unknown: pupa covered by a white, elongated, segmented,
glassy test.
Habitat in New Zealand--On _Alsophila Colensoi_ and other ferns,
Botanical Gardens, Wellington. In Europe on mulberry, &c.
The insect belongs to Signoret's second series.
49. Lecanium oleæ, Bernard.
_Chermes oleæ_, Bernard, Mem. d'Hist. Nat. Acad., 1872, 108.
_L. oleæ_, Signoret, loc. cit., 1873, p. 440.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XVII., 1884, p. 28.
_The "Black Scale."_
(Plate XI., Fig. 5.)
Adult female naked; semi-globular; dark-brown, sometimes almost black.
Skin marked by one longitudinal and two transverse keels, not very
conspicuous. Diameter, about 1/15in. Antennæ of eight joints. Feet
normal. Anal ring with six hairs.
Young insect flat, elongated, reddish-brown. The keels are more
conspicuous than in the adult. Skin marked with numerous oval
perforations.
Male unknown.
Habitat in New Zealand--On camellia, _Cassinia leptophylla_ (tauhine),
and other plants, Wellington; Hawke's Bay; on various native trees,
Whangarei. In Europe on olive. In America (where it is called the
"black scale") on oranges and very many other plants.
This insect belongs to Signoret's fifth series.
A European species, _L. cycadis_, Boisduval, is said by Dr. Signoret to
closely resemble _L. oleæ_, the only difference apparently being the
possession of nine-jointed antennæ. This character is so exceptional in
the genus that it perhaps may be but doubtful.
Genus: PULVINARIA, Targioni-Tozzetti.
Female insects naked, arboreal, constructing an ovisac. Male pupæ in
cottony or waxy sacs.
50. Pulvinaria camellicola, Signoret, Ann. de la Soc. Ent. de
France, 1873, p. 32.
Maskell, N.Z. Trans., Vol. XI., 1878, p. 207.
(Plate XII., Fig. 1.)
Adult female yellowish- or reddish-brown, naked, slightly convex,
elongated; skin smooth, with puncta; length variable, from about 1/7in.
to 1/9in. Antennæ (according to Signoret) with sometimes six, sometimes
seven, joints. Abdominal cleft and lobes normal. The insect excretes a
narrow, white, cylindrical cottony ovisac, which is conspicuous on the
leaf of the plant, and the brown body of the female can be seen at one
end of it. The eggs in this ovisac are numerous, perhaps some hundreds.
Larva and second stage of female flat, oval, yellowish-brown.
Male pupa covered with a waxy, elongated test as in the genus
_Ctenochiton_, but there is no fringe and the segments of the test are
not conspicuous; the test is oval and convex.
Adult male yellowish-grey, the head rounded, with an anterior
protuberance. Two dorsal and two ventral eyes, and two ocelli. Antennæ
of ten joints, all hairy. Feet exhibiting only two digitules, the upper
pair. Abdominal spike short, with two longish setæ on each side, each
pair of which are covered with cotton which is produced into a long
white conspicuous cauda.
Habitat--On camellia. In the South, chiefly in greenhouses. In the Hutt
Valley, Wellington, camellias in the open air are much subject to it.
The female of this species is not unlike _Lecanium hesperidum_, but the
formation of the white ovisac is a clearly distinguishing character. In
late summer the female often drops off to the ground, leaving only the
ovisac observable on the leaf.