MICRUTALIS. . lit 
rather smaller and somewhat differently coloured, but they can hardly be regarded as 
belonging to a distinct species ; the colour of the typical form is variable. 
2. Micrutalis binaria. 
Acutalis binaria, Fairm. Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. sér. 2, iv. p. 497'. 
Hab. Mrxico (Bilimek, in Mus. Vind. Ces.), Orizaba (Sallé), Fortin in Vera Cruz, 
Teapa in Tabasco (H. H. Smith); Nicaracua, Chontales (Janson).—CoLomBIa!. 
The type form described by Fairmaire is very easy to distinguish, for it is, as he says, 
“‘partagée en deux parts,” the front part including the basal portion of the tegmina 
being black, and the hinder part whitish. Among some specimens of this form, 
however, from Chontales, Nicaragua, there is one with the tegmina entirely hyaline, 
which proves to be a male, and, as far as I have been able to examine, the difference 
is certainly in part sexual: before finding this out I had come to the conclusion that 
the coriaceous basal portion of the elytra might form a good character for the sub- 
division of the genus, and certainly for dividing species; under the circumstances, however, 
I cannot find any real distinction for the following insects which come from much the 
same localities, and I therefore provisionally arrange them as a variety of M. binaria. 
Var. mutabilis. 
Differt a forma typicd tegminibus in utroque sexu totis hyalinis, et colore variabili. 
Colour very variable, whitish, with a black patch on the front of the pronotum, or testaceous with darker 
markings, or with the pronotum dark with yellowish or whitish spots; the tegmina in both sexes are 
entirely hyaline, or at most are a little darker at their extreme base. The length, as in the type form, 
varies from 24-3 millim. 
Hab. Mexico (Sallé; Bilimek, in Mus. Vind. Ces.; Mus. Holm.), Omilteme and 
Chilpancingo in Guerrero, Teapa in Tabasco (Hl. H. Smith); Guatema.a, near the city 
(Champion). 
In the Belgian Museum collection there are several specimens of a Micrutalis from 
“ Guanajuato,” Mexico, labelled Acutalis masta, a species described by Stal from Rio 
Janeiro (Kongl. Sv. Vet.-Ak. Handl., Band. ii. Haft. 2, p. 33), They appear to be 
identical with the insects here described as M. dinaria, var. mutabilis, and if correctly 
named the whole must be referred to A. mesta, Stal, which must be regarded as a 
separate species, or sunk as a variety of M. binaria, probably the latter, because of 
intermediate forms; I have not, however, seen a type specimen of A. mesta.. 
To judge from the description, A. variabilis, Berg (Hem. Arg. pp. 244, 302), may be 
a rather larger form of the same species. 
It must be admitted that the extreme forms of WV. binaria appear entirely different, 
but it seems impossible, with a long series before one, to divide it satisfactorily ; it is 
probable that the two or three species next described or noticed may also be only 
extreme forms of U/. binaria. 
As I have already noted, anted, p. 85, M. binariais perhaps not distinct from Zragopa 
ephippium, Burm., which I suspect isa Micrutalis. 
