526 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. IX, No. 8, 



Color has been used extensively in classifying these insects, 

 but this affords a rather unreliable basis for identification. It is 

 true the color patterns are so permanent in some groups of 

 insects as to become almost a structural character, but it is 

 impossible to give the color such weight in this particular case 

 although many writers have given little else in their identification 

 of certain species of Lepidocyrtus. Color is evidently an 

 especially unstable character in this genus on account of the 

 iridescent scales. The opalescent effect never appears the same 

 under two varying lights, and even though the general tone of 

 the insect may be dark or light, it is often very difficult to say 

 just what the most uniform color of the specimen may be. If, 

 however, the structural characters of the antennae, eyes, claws 

 and spring, and the length of the adult insect are given, there 

 should be little trouble in the identification. Not that the color 

 should be disregarded but rather that the greater importance of 

 the structural features should be emphasized. It is the lack of 

 these important characters that makes it impossible to formulate 

 a key to the genus. 



The genus Lepidocyrtus was proposed by M. L'Abbe Bourlet 

 in his "Memoire sur les Podures" published in 1839, for that 

 group of the Linnaean genus Podura having, " Antennes courtes, 

 de quatre articles, huit ocelles," and "couvertes d'ecailles." Not 

 all of the genera proposed by M. Bourlet at that time were 

 accepted, but Lepidocyrtus was, and has been retained until the 

 present time. 



Classification: — The distinguishing characters of the genus 

 Lepidocyrtus as it is recognized to-day are the projecting 

 mesonotum, the short, four-jointed antennae, and the presence 

 of scales. The number of ocelli has been given as characteristic, 

 but this cannot be depended upon. 



In the dorsal view of L. luteus n. sp. the head is almost 

 entirely concealed, while in L. purpureus Lubbock the pronotum 

 projects but Httle. The character of the scales and of the 

 antennae may be considered as constant, but it is sometimes a 

 difficult matter to distinguish between the projecting mesonotum 

 of a Lepidocyrtus, and that of Seira which differs from the former 

 genus only in not possessing the projecting mesonotum. The 

 gradation between the two is so gradual that this character 

 often proves quite unsatisfactory, for which reason it is necessary 

 to take other characters into consideration in the determination 

 of certain species. 



The antennae are comparatively short throughout the genus, 

 never being so long as the body. An examination of numerous 

 forms has shown that the number of the ocelli in the eye spot 

 may range from a single ocellus to as many as eight. The 



