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732. 

 AGRION RUBELLUM. 



Order Neuroptera. Fam. Libellulidse. 



Type of the Genus, Libellula puella, Linn. 

 Agrion Fab., Lot., Vand. Lind., Curt. — Libellula Linn. 



Antenna inserted between the eyes close to the inner margin, 

 very remote, shorter than the head, triarticulate, basal joint 

 the stoutest, subovate, 2nd not so stout but longer, a little 

 globose at the apex, both with very long hairs, 3rd a mode- 

 rately long seta, stoutish and tapering (1). 

 Labrmnlarge, transverse-ovate, thickly clothed with longhairs (2). 

 Mandibles rather small, broad at the base, subtrigonate, the 

 apex acute, trifurcate, with 2 clusters of teeth on the inside (3). 

 Maxillee small, forming a compressed lobe, terminated by a long 

 curved claw, with 2 teeth on the inside, 3 long spines below, 

 the rest producing hairs ; external lobe or palpus compressed, 

 curved and hairy, with a small tubercle or joint at the apex (4). 

 Mentum short but broad. Labium large hairy and covering the 

 mouth, ovate-trigonate, the apex rounded, with a deep broad 

 notch in the centre. Palpi very hairy, biarticulate, basal joint 

 very large, curved, compressed, a little attenuated, furnished 

 with a long incur\^ed claw at the inner apical angle, 2nd joint 

 slender, a little curved, subelliptic (5). 

 Head broad : clypeus narrowed : eyes moderate, very remote, promi- 

 nent and ovate : ocelli 3, forming a triangle on the crown. Thorax 

 narrower than the head, obconic-truncate : collar forming a lunate 

 scale : alitrunk very short and nearly vertical. Abdomen long 

 slender and cylindric, the apical processes very short and varying 

 greatly in form ; male furnished with 2 short remote horny lobes 

 above, and a furcate one on each side below (6 ^J) ; female with 2 

 short teeth and 2 filiform processes beloiv (6 $ ). Wings erect in 

 repose, very similar, membranaceous, elongate-ovate, most of the 

 cells quadrangular : stigma small and rhomboidal. Legs rather 

 short, slender, tapering, anterior the shortest: thighs ivith two 

 rows of spiny bristles beneath: tibiae with a double series of spread- 

 ing spiny bristles on each side, the anterior pectinated inside towards 

 the apex : tarsi triarticulate, basal joint very short, 3rd the longest 

 in the anterior, in the others the 2nd and 3rd are equal: claws long 

 narrow and bifid at the apex. Obs. the dissections are from A. minium. 



RuBELLUM V. Lind., — Curt. Guide, Gen. 733, 7. 



Male : head and thorax dull aeneous, underside face and legs 

 ochreous : abdomen red : wings slightly tinted with yellow, 

 stigma fuscous-ochre. Female : abdomen seneous, 3 basal and 

 2 apical joints rufous. Var. bright ferruginous, ochreous be- 

 neath ; crown of head, clypeus, disc of collar, a broad line 

 down the thorax and a fine one on each side purplish-black ; 

 abdomen of same colour, except the 2 first joints, and the base 

 of the 3rd, on which there is a broken dorsal line of 4 black 

 spots and a ring; base of all the other segments with an ochreous 

 ring interrupted at the centre : nervures sometimes reddish : a 

 black dot at the apex of the thighs, a streak outside the tibiae 

 and tips of tarsi and of claws black. 



