516 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



from it : antenodal nervures 9^ to 101 the linal incomplete : base of trigone iu 

 the hindwing at the arc : 1 cubital nervure to all wings : no supplementary 

 nervures to the bridge : trigone in the forewing traversed once, rarely twice : 

 subtrigone with 3 cells : trigone in the hindwing entire : all hypertrigones 

 entire : 4th nervure slightly undulated : 8th nervure strongly arched : discoidal 

 field with 3 rows of cells (occasionally 2 or 4, but this very rare), strongly dilated 

 at the termen : 1 row of cells between 5 and 5a : anal field of hindwing broad, 

 the loop broad and extending 3 cells beyond trigone and with bifurcated cells 

 at both angles : stigma and membrane large. 



Two species have been described from within Indian limits, viz., servilia and 

 erythrcea, but having examined some hundreds of specimens collected over a 

 wide area w'hich included Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Persia, Sind, Bombay, 

 the Deccan, the Carnatic, Madras, Assam, Burma and Ceylon, I have come 

 to the conclusion that the two cannot be separated. It is possible to form a 

 complete series including both species and when large numbers are examined, 

 the specific characters break down everywhere, especially as regards the wings, 

 the reticulation of the apices and the apical and basal markings. I consider 

 them to be transitional forms towards the establishment of at least three 

 different species but find it more convenient to describe them under one 

 heading with two varieties, a small and a large red form and a yellow variety, 

 of which I call the former C. servilia servilia, the large red form, variety 

 maxima, and the latter, variety erythcea. It must be noted however that as 

 these three are not infrequently seen pairing with one another and as the 

 neuration in all closely agrees, the division is a purely artificial one. All forms 

 are yellow in the teneral stage, but this colour is retained in the adult stage 

 of erythoia onl_y, the others assuming in a few days a brilliant red colour. 

 Erythcea in its colouring conforms with what is usually found to be the 

 case with desert species, the greater number of which, especially in 

 Mesopotamia, are of a sandy yellow tint. 



28. Crocothemis servilia servilia. 



Crocothemis erythcea, Selys. 

 Crocothemis soror, Kirby. 

 Crocothemis reticulata, Kirby. 

 Libellula servilia, Drury. 

 Crocothemis servilia, Brauer. 

 Erythemis servilia, Brauer. 

 Libellula ferruginea, Fabricius. 

 Libellula soror, Rambur. 



Expanse 55 to 60 nun. Length 35 mm. 

 Male : head ; eyes reddish brown or deep blood red above, opalescent or pur- 

 plish at the sides and beneath ; occiput olivaceous ; vesicle, frons, epistome 

 and labrum brilliant red or the lower part of epistome and the labrum may be 

 orange or yellowish. 

 Prothorax ferruginous. 

 Thorax reddish brown without markings, densely imbescent. Legs reddish 



brown. 



Abdomen and anal appendages a bright carmine red with no markings. 



Wings hyaline, reticulation close, especially at the apices, an amber coloured, 

 basal marking which in the foreAving is only present in the inferior costal 

 space, the subcostal and cubital spaces at the extreme proximal parts. In 

 the hindwing this marking is of variable extent, reaching as far the 1st ante- 

 eubital nervure, rather beyond the cubital nervure and from thence in a convex 

 margin as far as the tornus. Antecubital nerviu'es lOJ to llj. In occasional 

 specimens the apices of the wings are distinctly smokey. Stigma deep amber 

 heavily bordered with black. 



