THISTLE-DOWN.downloads.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/1895/020587.pdf · 2019-08-01 · September x895. SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCItE. As it runs over the ground, this insect looks extremely

[September I89S.

Las Cruces, N. M., I3th May, 1895. (MissJessie Casad, no. 296. Taken on mesquite.

I had described this as a distinct species,but after prolonged consideration believe itto be but a varietal form of P. nilidella Ckll.In typical niNdella the median excursion ofthe yellow does not extend to the middleocellus, while in the variety it may be said todo so, the interval between its upper borderand the ocellus being scarcely observablewith a strong lens. In nitidella the incur-sion of the blue terminates in a right angle,whereas in the variety its termination ismuch more acute. Other differences will ap-pear to any one comparing the descriptions.Typical niNdella was taken in September.Perdita punctosignata, n. sp.--’ about

4 ram. long. Head moderately broad,vertex minutely roughened, not punctate.Cheeks beneath with sparse hairs. An-tenuae yellow; tip of scape, funicle, andflagellum except last two joints, brownabove. Head, including face and cheeks,entirely dull yellow except a broad transverseblack band stretching from eye to eye onvertex, and enclosing the two lateral ocelli;a black basi-occipital band connected withthat on vertex in median line; and a con-spicuous black spot close to the anteriororbit about as far above level of insertion ofantennae as length of scape. The yellow ofthe face becomes paler downwards, thelabrum being rather whitish.

Thorax bright lemon yellow, with twobroad black bands extending backwards fromnear the anterior margin of the nesothoraxto the metathorax, where they meet; makingthe whole of the dorsum of metathorax blackexcept a couple of yellow spots in the medianline near its anterior border. The dorsumof scutellum and post-scutellum are broadlygreenish-yellow. Tegulae hyaline. Wingshyaline, nervures pale, stigma hyaline witha brown margin, third discoidal excessivelyindistinct. Legs all yellow, except a brown-ish shade behind middle tibiae, and a stillstronger shade on hind tibiae and a slightbrown spot at end of hind femora.Abdomen yellow with sepia bands; first

segment mostly sepia, with an interruptedyellow band and yellow anterior border;second and third segments each with anarrow proximal and a broad distal band, thelatter narrowing suddenly before lateralmargin; fourth segment similar, but thedistal band narrower; fifth segment with thebands becoming obscure, or at least thedistal one. Venter all yellow.Hab. Close to the Agricultural College,

Las Cruces, N. M., I3th May, x895, onmesquite. (Miss Jessie Casad, no. 297.)By the face-makings, this might be con-

founded with t. martini Ckll., but theyellow thorax with broad longitudinal bandswill at once separate it.

III. A. :M:UTILLID WHICH RESEMBLES THISTLE-DOWN.

Sphaerophthalma gloriosa Sauss., var.nov. pseudopappus. about x3 to 6 mm.

long, entirely dull black, clothed with verylong pure white hairs. The long hairs onthe dorsum of the second segment of abdo-men are about 5 mm. long. The firstabdominal segment widens gradually to thesecond, and is dorsally bare, with white hairsat base and apex.Hab. Las Cruces, New Mexico, in June.

One also on September 6. Mr. Fox knowsit also from Arizona and California.

I have never seen typical gloriosa, inwhich the body color is reddish, but Mr. Foxassures me that the present insect is but avariety of it. It is, perhaps, rather a sub-species, for I have now seen about 8 speci-mens, every one of them black. A specimenof S. sackenii, collected in California, andsent to me by Mr. Wickham, is verydifferent. It is larger, the hairs have ayellowish tinge, and the pubescence on thelegs, venter, etc., is black; whereas in#seudo#a#bus all the pubesence is white.

September x895. SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCItE.

As it runs over the ground, this insectlooks extremely like a bit of thistle-downblown by a gentle breeze. The resemblanceis so extraordinary, that it is difficult torealize that it is an insect until it is actuallyin the killing-bottle. It proceeds in a zigzag

jerky manner, so increasing the illusion.What is the purpose of this mimicry, I donot know; these creatures possess powerfulstings, and most of the allied forms seem tobe warningly colored--usually contrasts ofblack and red. T. 29. A. Ckll.

IV, NEw SPECIES OF COCCIDAE.

BY T. D. A. COCK:ERELI..

Aspidiotus hartii, n. sp.- scales irreg-ular, subcircular to oval, about i mm. diam.,moderately convex, dull brownish-gray, witha slight purplish tint; first skin partly cov-ered or entirely exposed, shining pale straw-color, nearly central. When removed, thescales leave a conspicuous white mark, withno black ring.

scale colored like that of the , small,elongate, with the exuviae near one end.

brown, becoming pale lemon yellowwhen boiled in soda. 5 groups of ventralglands, median of about 4, cephalolaterals9, caudolaterals 6 to 7. Anal orifice posteriorto level of caudolateral glands, but somedistance from hind end. No long tubularglands at bases of lobes. Two pairs of lobesonly; median large with parallel sides andgently rounded subtruncate ends, slightlydiverging, not contiguous, obscurely notchedat end towards outer side. Second lobessimilar in shape, but much smaller. Tworather stout branched plates between themedian lobes, and two between Ist and 2ndlobes. Margin cephalad of 2nd lobe withfirst three stout strongly branched platesclose together, then three equally long butnot so stout and only slightly branchedplates fllrther apart. Then two very slendersmall plates, then a long interval, then themargin coarsely serrate, with about 6 serraotions.

I-lab. Trinidad, West Indies, in greatnumbers on tubers of yam. Sent by Mr.Hart, of the Royal Botanic Gardens. Theoccurrence of an Aspidiotus on yams was

hardly expected; though Mr. Barber hacsent me from Antigua a new Lecanlum (L.batatae Ckll. ined.) on sweet potato tubers.The-present insect is allied to Asbidiotussacckari Ckll., I893.

Aspidiotus sphaerioides, n. sp. ? scalecircular, rather over ram. diam., in num-bers 0n the leaf, moderately convex, darkreddish-brown, with the part covering theexuviae indicated by a pale raised ring.When rubbed, the exuviae are uncovered andappear shining black. Removed from theplant, the scale leaves a whitish patch, sur-rounded by a blackish ring.

pale yellow, circular, mouth-parts aboutas far fi’om anterior margin as their length.Anterior margin with a row of about 9 strongspines or stout hairs, such as have seen inno other species. Anal orifice oval, a fairdistance from hind end, but posterior to levelof caudolateral groups of glands. 5 groupsof ventral glands, caudolaterals of 3 cepha-lolaterals 4, median 3.Three pairs of well-developed lobes, small

but distinct, about equal in size, rounded,.with a slight tendency to be notched on eachside. Branched plates, hardly longer thanthe lobes, between them. Margin cephalaffof 3rd lobe very coarsely serrate, with fivelarge serrations, the bases of these all fringedwith numerous tubular glands. Long tubu-lar glands at bases of lobes; those cephaladof median lobes, and in the interval between2nd and 3rd lobes much the longest; thatcephalad of 3rd lobe next longest.Hab. On leaves of New Zealand flax,

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THISTLE-DOWN.downloads.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/1895/020587.pdf · 2019-08-01 · September x895. SUPPLEMENT TO PSYCItE. As it runs over the ground, this insect looks extremely