1920.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 65 



given over almost entirely to color description and with no figures, 

 particularly necessary to show the pronotal contour, the descrip- 

 tions of these species as given have only added to the difficulties 

 encountered, and instead of representing an addition to scientific 

 knowledge, are in fact a distinct retrograde step. 



Length of body 93, width of head 12, length of pronotum 28.8, 

 greatest width of pronotum 12.7, length of pronotal shaft 20.7, 

 width of unexpanded portion of shaft 6.5, length of tegmen 53, 

 width of tegminal marginal field 6.6, length of cephalic femur 23, 

 length of caudal femur 22.3 mm. 



Hierodula splendida new species. (Plate II, figure 3.) 



The present species is distinguished from all others of this section 

 which have been properly characterized, excepting H. tamolana 

 (Brancsik) by the expansion of the pronotum, which is decidedly 

 greater than the cephalic width, but narrows sharply caudad, leav- 

 ing slightly less than half of the shaft without expansion. Compared 

 the figure and description of males of tamolana, the male under con- 

 sideration is found to differ in the more evenly rounded margins of 

 the supra-coxal expansion, which are smooth, without trace of 

 denticulation. The cephalic coxae are black on their internal faces 

 only in the distal fourth, but this coloring appears to be individually 

 variable in extent in species of the present group. 



Type. — cf; Haidana, Collingwood Bay, British New Guinea. 

 April to June, 1907. (From A. S. Meek.) [Hebard Collection 

 Type No. 525.] 



Size large, form rather robust, as in many species of the Tamolana 

 Group. Ocelli large, rather closely placed in a triangle slightly 

 wider than high. Facial scutellum with height equal to basal width, 

 dorsal margin rather strongly convex, surface with two vertical 

 parallel carinas very weakly indicated. Pronotum with lateral 

 margins smooth, shaft without trace of carina, supra-coxal expan- 

 sion pyriform, considerably wider than head, margins very weakly 

 concave-convergent cephalad, evenly convex caudad to juncture 

 with unexpanded portion of shaft, which portion constitutes nearly 

 half the length of the shaft. Tegmina with marginal field opaque, 

 broad, narrowing evenly and gradually distad from point of great- 

 est width; remaining portions transparent, hyaline, weakly tinged 

 with brown except proximad toward marginal fields where they are 

 embrowned and subopaque, stigma rather heavy and conspicuously 

 pale. Cephalic coxae with cephalic margin moderately lamellate, 



