376 Annals of the South African Museum. 



as distinct from Macromia are: (1) a single row of post-trigonal cells; 

 (2) eighth segment of male dilated, sides foliaceous ; (3) tenth segment 

 not raised ; (4) superior appendages of male not dented externally. 

 Unfortunately this definition will not hold good even with the very 

 limited material seen by the writer: (1) is an unusually variable 

 character just in the group under discussion ; differences are mostly 

 sexual, but also individual ; (2) seems a good character, though it will 

 probably not unite all species of real affinity ; (3) is evidently of 

 no generic value ; there are species otherwise very closely similar 

 with a plain tenth segment in males (H. africana) and with dorsally 

 pointed tenth segment (M.picta) ; (4) seems a good character, although 

 unisexual, but it seems to be common to all African Macromia, not to 

 the Selysian PhyUoniacromia alone. Most probably a definition can 

 be found to characterise the whole of the African Macromiae under 

 the name Phyllomacromia but the definition cannot be attempted 

 here owing to a lack of the greater number of described species. Also 

 I prefer not to adopt the name Phi/llomacroinia here, with a definition 

 that would be in flagrant contradiction to the one given it by its 

 author ; it seems better to record our few species under the general 

 name of Macromia. 



1. Pterostigma black. Abdominal segment 3-6 at most with a bilobate trans- 



verse yellow band in anterior third. Superior appendages black. 

 Pointed elevation of tenth segment in male almost as high as the rest of 

 the segment 2. 



Pterostigma ochreous or light ferruginous. Abdominal segments 3-6 

 basal half to basal third yellow, a mid-dorsal black spot in the yellow 

 ring producing a pupillate pattern. Superior appendages ochreous. 

 Pointed elevation of tenth segment in male about one-half the height of 

 the rest of the segment . M. picta. 



2. Face and frons ferruginous, with small greenish spots at the sides and in the 



median furrow of frons. Abdominal segments 5-6 wholly black in male, 

 with very small dorsal yellow spots in female. Inferior appendage of 

 male of about the same length as the siiperior ; superior parallel. 

 Hamuli black, with an ante-apical transverse ridge light yellow. 

 Posterior end of dorsal ridge of ninth segment projecting as a sharp spine. 



M. tlietis. 



Face and frons anteriorly ferruginous with a crescentic spot on post- 

 clypeus yellowish ; a broad light yellow band on dorsal surface of frons, 

 descending along the eyes to lateral ends of post-clypeus. Abdominal 

 segments 5-6 with dorsal yellow spots in male (female imknown). 

 Inferior appendage of male sensibly shorter than superior ; superior 

 diverging posteriorly. Hamuli wholly black. Dorsal ridge of segment 9 

 not projecting in a posterior spine . . . . . M. clymene. 



