224 [October, 



jeetions, of a curious nature, so as to malce us ask what can be the 

 object of them. The lateral lo))es do not enter the vulva ; indeed, only 

 the apical part of the median lobe so enters. During the state of rest 

 all the lobes come very closely together, and their structure appears to 

 specially facilitate this. The lateral lobes do not exercise any pre- 

 hension or clasping ; but during copula, one (possibly both) of them 

 crosses and suppoi'ts the median lobe, so that their shapes are at any 

 rate partially adapted to the two results I have mentioned. 



The actual copula occupies a long period — at any rate one or two 

 days. Its inception has not been observed, but while it is going on 

 the pair stands end to end on a twig, in the position that we may be 

 permitted to consider to have been the primitive one in insect copula. 

 They stand quite motionless, with head defiexed and antennae con- 

 cealed, as if dead. The only sign of life they display is the prehension 

 of the twig by the feet. I have observed a pair to be absolutely 

 motionless in <i glass tube for more than 24 hours. Notwithstanding 

 this they are firmly joined, and pairs falling into a beating umbrella 

 frequently retain their connection. This appears to be maintained by 

 a thorough co-adaptation of the abdominal segments. The male has 

 two internal segments, one of them extremely modified, aad acting as 

 a supporting saucer (in larger part membranous) for the bulb of the 

 aedeagus. The female has a very long ovipositor, which is retained in 

 the body during coition ; but there is another internal segment which 

 enters — at any rate partially — the cloaca of the male, while the male 

 true penultimate segment enters the female segment. Thus a thorough 

 interlocking of the pair is maintained by means of the abdominal 

 segments. 



Brockenhurst .- 



August 19th, 1916. 



NOTES ON MELANDRYIDAE (4).— SUPPLEMENTiEY NOTE AND 



COEEECTION. 



BY G. C. CHAMPION, F.Z.S. 



Since the publication of the concluding portion of my " Notes " 

 on these insects {antea, pp. 145-157), a few additional forms in the 

 British Museum have been handed over to me by Kr. Blair for naming. 

 A study of these specimens has led to the identilcation of Laccoderus 

 {antea, p. 106) with Batohius Fairm. and Germ (1863), and the first 

 name must therefore be sunk as a synonym. Tlje other species are: — 



