March, 1916] Homopterous Studies. Part I .171 



middle. Antennae very short, ocelh further removed from the 

 eyes than from one another. Base of thorax truncate. Scutellum 

 subequilateral. 



"According to our present knowledge, this is distinctly 

 Ethiopian Genus. It is also a most extensive one, some forty 

 two species having already been described. As pointed out by 

 Stal, two subdivisions of the genus are possible by the character 

 of the surface of the pronotum. " (Distant). 



A. Pronotum very coarsely punctate and posteriorly rugose. 



B. Pronotum distinctly punctate but not posteriorly rugose. 



A. Locris arithmetica Stal. 



Locris arithmetica Stal Hem. Afr. IV. 58. (1866). 



Monecphora arithmetica Walk. List. Hom. B. Mus. 675. (1851). 



Locris arithmetica, Dist. Ins. Transv. IX. 227. (1908). 



General color bright red, interspersed with black marks 



on the head, thorax and elytra. Ventral color black, the whole 



covered with a dense pubescence. Length of both male and 



female 12.5 mm. Breadth 4.5 mm. 



Head small, much narrower than the pronotum; vertex produced 

 anteriorly, its length about equal to the width across the eyes; anterior 

 half of vertex red, the posterior, dense black. Eyes large, dark gray. 

 Frons black, red at the anterior margin of the head, very tumid; longi- 

 tudinal carina rather poorly developed; numerous deep transverse 

 furrows; cheeks very small and rostrum long. Pronotum a little more 

 than one and a half times as long as the vertex, narrow next the head, 

 widening considerably towards the elytra; black on the anterior half, 

 except along the lateral margins which are red; the red band continuous 

 across the middle. Posterior margin black; pronotum very convex, 

 finely punctate, the punctations occupying fine rugce on the posterior 

 half; anterior half with numerous small depressions or irregular pits; 

 lateral posterior angles of the pronotum obtuse, the posterior margin 

 inwardly rounded; lateral edges red, black beneath and shining. Scu- 

 tellum jet black. Elytra bright red, marked characteristically with six 

 large black spots, two near the base, one on the claval area, another on 

 the corium, a smaller spot on the claval suture, just before the apex, 

 one larger at the apex, and the last on the middle of the elytron. 

 Venation rather indistinct. Hind wings slightly lurid. Abdomen 

 brown above, beneath black but reddish at base, the posterior edges of 

 the segments red. Legs black at base, the tibia bright red and the 

 tarsi black. Posterior tibi« with the median spine well developed. 

 Genitalia indistinct. 



Habitat: Transvaal, Pretoria (Distant), Johannesburg, 

 (Cruger, Brit. Mus.), Boksburg (Kaessner), Natal (Mansell 

 Weale), Durban (Bell-Marley), Howick (Cregoe), Bechuana- 

 land, Omaramba (Erikson), Kaffraria, (Castelnau, Oxford Mus.) 



