728 PERMIAN AND TRIASSIC INS?:CTS FROM X.S.W., 



Horizon: Upper Coal-Measures of Newcastle, N.S.W. 



So little appears to be known about the Cercopincn of Aus- 

 tralia, that I am not able to indicate any named Australian 

 species as showing affinity with this form. But there are a 

 number of genera figured in Distant's excellent work on the 

 Rhynchota of British India, Vol. iv., (in the " Fauna of British 

 India"') which appear to be closely related to this Permian fossil. 

 For example, the genus Eoscarta Bredd., widely distributed in 

 the Oriental Region, might well be the direct descendant of a 

 form such as Permoscarta, as may be seen by referring to Text- 

 fig. 2. A shifting of the origin of Rs distad along R to beyond 

 halfway, a consequent reduction in the number of cross-veins 

 connecting R with C and Rs, a simplification of the basal union 

 of M and Cu, and finally a shortening uf the apical cells, with 

 elimination of the anomalous extra fork already noted at the tip 

 of the wing, would convert Perrtioscarta by reduction into Eo- 

 scarta. Very possibly there still exist in Australia to-day foims 

 more closely allied to Permoscarta than this Oriental genus is. 

 It is to be hoped that the discovery of this fine fossil will stir 

 up interest in our beautiful Cercopidce^ amongst the smaller 

 forms of which much work still remains to be done. 



Permoscarta mitchelli, n sp. (Text-fig. 2a). 



Characters as given for the genus, with the following addi- 

 tions : Total length of teymeii^ 6*4 mm ; greatest breadth^ 21 mm., 

 at level of distal end of lA. 



All the veins very distinctly marked, except the small basal 

 portion of Cu and the whole of 11^, with its upper and lower 

 series of cross-veins. In the first two drawings that I made 

 of this insect, I completely failed to detect Rj; the third 

 drawing was made under the cameralucida in very strong, 

 oblique, evening sunlight, in wliich, to my surprise, the whole of 

 Rj and its cross-veins showed up very clearl}^ when the wing 

 was placed in a certain position only. 



The specimen, which is beautifully preserved, is complete ex- 

 cept for the absence of the greater part of the coriaceous border 

 (which is, however, very distinctly marked distally above Rj), a 



I 



