THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



17 



XAKIATIONSOF Bl PRKSTIS \l RIDISUTURALIS, NICOLAY cS: WKISS. 



m KK HARD T. GARNETT, 



Oakland, Caliloniia. 



)Ut lA\() pcrte-cl s{)rciniens of this 

 other specimens. This is a large 



In nu- coUeclioii, ahhoiK!,h there are 

 sjK'cies, I ha^•e the ehtra of t\vent\-nine 

 (Miou.uh series, I should judge, to gi\e the general tnnd ot markings in this very 

 \ ariahle species. 



1 n tin- ])late gixen l)y Nicolay and Weiss of this species tlie male is represented 

 willi a thin sulural marking and about t\\()- thirds the distance from the anterior 

 edge a triangular dark marking on the disc extending from the suture as a base. 

 Of tlie h\e male elytra that 1 ha\e, one is like their figure. The other four have 

 onl\- ;in extremely thin sutural marking with a small humeral spot in one (Fig. 

 S). 



Of the i\vent\-six female ehtra there is but one that 1 ha\e that approaches 

 exactitude with that of the plate given by Nicolay and Weiss. I have them 



varying from the nearly all 



^fl^I /;^\^ f — ^"5 r'^^ C^ yellow elytra (Fig. 2) to the 



1^^^ V ( i •■ 1 1 '^'^^^ dark colouring of (Fig. 



^^J I \ \ \ \ ^^^^' f^'g"r<^s 4 and 5 show 



P^l I I |*V \^V how the sutural n^arkings are 



^^mk \ I J 1 J T^B connected (jr tend to become 



^1 \ \ I \M \ 1 connected (Fg. 4) with the 



^^ \ YJ YI ^ lateral markings. Figure 4 



also shows the maximum 

 number of spots present on 

 an\- one set of elytra in my 

 scries. 



One thing that I exam- 

 ined especially was the colour; 

 and, as my series for the most 

 part had died some time l)e- 

 fore collection, I used chloro- 

 form and a moistening box to 

 bring back the natural colour 

 in case the colour present was not the natural one. This failed, however, to 

 bring any results, and as far as I can see the colour of the majority of m\- 

 vir idi s II ti( rails, that is, of the dark markings along the suture, is identical with 

 that of the dark markings of B. gibbsii Lee, a metallic greenish purple. 



Going a little further T took a composite of all the markings found in my 

 series (Fig. 6) to compare it with the markings found in my specimens of B. 

 »ibbsii (Fig. 1). There are some points of similarity, as can be seen in the 

 liumeral lunule and the almost completely divided median s[)ot. Perhaps some 

 day a specimen will !)(.• found with similar markings, for if various specimens 

 ma\- ha\c such \aried markings it is reasonable to believe that some specimens 

 ira\- ha\e a combination of these markings. 



Thus I believe it may be safely stated that while B. viridisitltiralis is cer- 

 tainly a distinct species it may simulate in markings B. i^ibbsii somewhat, and 



January, 1920 



Fig. .i. 1.— Elytron of B. gibbsii Lee: 2, 3. 4, .'>, 7. 9. 10.— Elytra of 



B. viridisttliiralis y'lcolay & Weiss. (Female); 0. — Composite 



elytron of variations of B. viridisuluralis N. & W.; 



K. — Elytron of B. viridisuluralis N. & W. I Male). 



