﻿10 ~n 33 



445. 

 ASIRACA PULCHELLA. 



Order Homoptera. Fam. Cicacliidee. 



Type of the Genus, Delphax clavicornis Fab. 



AsiRACA Lat., Curt. — Delphax Fub., Panz. 



Antennee inserted in a notch beneath the eyes, longer than the 

 thorax, robust, and 4-jointed, basal joint very long, stout and 

 linear, compressed with a keel outside, scabrous on the inside, 

 the inferior margin serrated with bristles, 2nd joint ovate-conic, 

 tuberculated, producing spiny bristles, 3rd joint minute, globose, 

 4th a long slender seta (4). 



Labrum short elongate -trigonate, acute (3, side -vdew). 

 Mandibles and maxilla setiform. 



Labium scarcely longer than the clypeus, pilose, triarticulate, 



basal joint the shortest, 2nd the longest and stoutest, swelled a 



little beneath, 3rd joint longer than the 1st and slightly curved 



(2 * side view) . 



Head narrower than the thorax, long and vertical, crown somewhat 



lunulate, face elongate-trigonate : clyjDeus elongate -conic. Ocelli 



none. Eyes lateral and ovate, ivith a deep notch beneath. Thorax 



transverse short, someivhat lunulate : scutellum rather large and 



trigonate. Wings deflcxed when at rest : superior ample coriaceous 



with numerous longitudinal nervures, a few transverse ones on the 



casta and an oblique one towards the apex (9) ; inferior wings 7nem- 



branous and minute. Legs, anterior very much diluted (6) : thighs 



linear : tibiss, posterior long with 3 spines on the outside, the apex 



surrounded with spines and a longer spur {Q\): tarsi triarticulate, 



terminal joint the longest, except in the posterior pair, in which the 



basal joint is considerably the longest, and that as ivell as the 2nd is 



surrounded with spines at the apex. Claws and Pulvilli minute. 



PuLCHELLA Curt. Guide, Gen. 1067, 3. 



Smooth pale ochreous, face darker ; eyes black : antennae with 

 the joints brown at the apex : thorax with a brown line on each 

 side : abdomen blackish, except at the base, the segments mar- 

 gined and variegated with ochre : superior wings faintly stained 

 with yellow, a brown irregular strij^e along the centre, broken 

 in the middle and forming a fimbria at the i)Osterior margin, 

 sometimes with pale spots between the nervures, and an oblique 

 brown nervure towards the apex on the costa : inferior wings 

 ample, iridescent, with a few of the nervures towards the costa 

 brown : tarsi brown, excepting the 2 first joints in. the hinder 

 pair. 



In the Cabinets of Mr. Dale and the Author. 



I fear it will be necessary to divide these neighbouring groups 

 considerably, for if we take the D. clavicornis and minuta Fab. 

 as types of Asiraca and Delphax, the former distinguished by 



