COLOR PATTERN OF F.LYTRA. 



8l 



fication tending to the production of transverse markings, or rows of spots, 

 caused by the breaking up of the longitudinal stripes in the spaces between 

 the transverse bands (figs. 41 to 45). The addition of these new spots to the 

 transverse bands (figs. 41 to 43) complete, as in fig. 45, a color pattern of trans- 

 verse rows of spots. Fusions between these different color areas are so rare 

 that they may be considered to be non-existent. 



The process of the reduction of the longitudinal bands, beguu in the lineata 

 group and carried to completion in L. signaticollis, takes in this group a some- 

 what different trend, iu that the stripes are broken up into spots by their 

 reduction in the spaces between the transverse bauds. This takes place first 

 in the spaces between the second and first transverse bands, and also first in 

 the posterior stripes. Sometimes, however, the reduction is first seen in the 

 anterior subcostal stripe (fig. 46), and this is later followed by a reduction 

 in the space between the third and fourth bands. If after the reduction of 

 the stripes in the space between the bands there should occur an expansion 

 of the spots, a pattern of transverse bands of solid color would be produced, 

 such as occurs in other species of the genus. 



Variation in the percentage of light to dark color in the elytra of the dilccta 

 group. The seriations in this character show it to be one of the least vari- 

 able of any in the genus. This is explainable by the fact that as reduc- 

 tion of the stripes goes on development of the spots belonging to the 

 system of bands as a rule goes on also, and thus the balance of color propor- 

 tion is remarkably well preserved. The variations found as the result of 

 seriation iu this character are presented in the following table : 



Table 26. /aviation in proportion of light to dark color in elytra of the dilecta group. 



Variations in the elytra of the haldemani group. The color of the elytra of 

 the beetles in this group presents only the variations of the uniformly colored 

 surface, to which is added in most cases a modification of physical origin. 

 The colors are largely physico-chemical. As is the pronotum and epi- 

 crankim, the color of the elytra is only slightly variable. Seriations on the 

 basis of the same classes used in the case of the pronotum gave the results 

 shown in table 27. 



