SHELFOKD, BLATTODEA. 35 



in the male; Vertex rather flattened, rugose, face with two depressions between the 

 antennal sockets, lower face transversely wrinkled. Pronotum with lateral vittae and 

 two marks on the posterior fifth of the diso yellow, these marks are in some speci- 

 mens joined to the lateral vittae. Tegmina piceous, lobiform, only just extending 

 beyond the mesonotum, their apices rounded. ]\Iesonotiim with two irregulär yellow 

 marks on the diso. Metanotum with an irregulär transverse yellow band. The five 

 basal abdominal tergites each with a broad yellow band occupying the greater part 

 of their surfaces; 6*i^ tergite enlarged, concavely depressed yellow; 1*'^ tergite short, tri- 

 angularly produced, yellow; supra-anal lamina tectiform, carinate, apex emarginate, 

 vellow with a black line on the margin. Cerci and abdomen beneath piceous. 



Measurements of types: 



?, Total length 31 mm.; lengtli of body 23 mm.; length of tegmina 26 mm.; 

 pronotum 5,6 mm. x 7 mm. 



?. Length of body 22 mm.; length of tegmina 3,5 mm.; pronotum 7 mm. 

 X 10 mm. 



A very long series (115 specimens) of both sexes in all stages of growth from 

 Kibonoto 1,300 — 2,000 metres, Masai steppes and Lower Meru in the acacia forest; 

 the j'oungest larvae were taken in August and September, older larvae in September 

 and October, the adults in November and December. The females and larvae were 

 found in great quantities under stones bestrewing the steppe-country. Two males 

 from Lower Meru exhibit slight variations, in one the yellow fasciae of the pronotum 

 are reduced to short and narrow stripes, in another they are absent altogether; the 

 size of the latter specimen is considerably less than that of the type, but I can find 

 no other characters entitling it to separate specific rank and it may safely be regarded 

 as an extreme Variation. With this valuable and important series of specimens be- 

 fore me it is now possible for the first time to distinguish the females of the genus 

 Pseudoderopeltis from the females of allied genera with certainty; as already stated 

 their characteristic feature is the enlarged sixth abdominal tergite, which is concavely 

 depressed and declivous so that the posterior part of the body in profile view appears 

 as if it was obliquely truncated. 



The species described by me from British E. Africa as Blatta rothschihli^ must 

 be referred to Pseudoderopeltis, the female exhibits all the characters of the genus and 

 the male is possibly an abnormal specimen, for the tegmina are reduced but the 

 right tegmen is shorter than the left; the other male characters such as the form 

 of the meso- and metanotum and the opening of the scent-gland on the 1^' abdominal 

 Segment conform to the Pseudoderopeltis type. Siylopyga guttata Sauss." from Galla- 

 land is possibly also a ? Pseudoderopeltis. 



' Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist. (7) XIX. i>. 3'J (1907). 

 '' Ann. Mus. riv. (Jen. XXXV, p. 75 (1895). 



