62 REV. J. O^NEIL 



are to be seen in great abundance iimning about after 

 rain in the sunshine in November and December. 6f. 

 masliunns, (/. icahJhcrgi, G. lincolatus and G. nannisciis 

 are to be found almost throughout the summer. 



Of Graphipterus thirteen species occur here, all except 

 one {G. efjregius) being exceedingly connnon. Seven of 

 them — G. Uinhatellus, G. hilincatus, G. tiJfialisi. G. lincvhis, 

 G. velutiuus. G. lateralis and G. fritschi — are seen on 

 the sand belt only, where they are. as a rule, plentiful 

 after the early summer lains. A nHolcanus is only found, 

 sometimes in numbers, on small patches of l)lack soil close 

 to rivers or vleis. G. icahlljerf/i is very abundant on all 

 soils and the colour of its pubescence is variable, examples 

 found on the red soil being always reddish, and those 

 taken on the granite and sand belt being yellowish or 

 light ochreous. 



Masliunns is one of the commonest of our local Graph - 

 ipteri and is found everywhere throughout the summer. 

 I have even taken specimens hibernating under stones 

 in the depth of winter. In this species the ditference 

 in colour is even more marked than in the preceding. 

 Examples found on the red soil always have the pube- 

 scence on head, prothorax and elytra of a deep red-ochre 

 tint; in those seen on grey soil the pubescence is pale 

 ochreous yellow, while those found on the sand belt are 

 remarkable for their uniformly larger size, the much 

 greater width of the posterior black transverse band <>n 

 the elytra, and the very light sandy colour of the pube- 

 scence. G. (layUngi, Per;, which is found at Umtali. is 

 merely a local form of G. inashunaH, and is very like the 

 variety found at Salisbury on the sand. 



G, lineolatus and its var. gcininatus, Per. are abundant 

 here, especially in or close to vleis; and the little G. 

 nanniscus, which usually does not appear till the latter 

 end of December, is common on the grey and black soils. 

 but never seen on the sand. The large and handsome 

 G. egregius, a very common beetle in Matabeleland, has 

 been recorded from Salisburv. but T have never come 



