MYRMECOPHILOUS COLKOPTBRA. 247 



punctiila, Gyll., with F. rufa, in April. Qucdius brevis, Er., with F. 

 rufa, in January and April, and with Lashis fuliginosus in April. 

 Leptacinus formicetorum, Maerk., with F. rufa, in March, April and 

 May. Batrims immtiis, Reich., in the rotten wood of an old tree, 

 formerly inhabited by L. fulininoam, in May. Coccinella distincta, 

 Fald., with F. rufa, in March. Dendrophilus ptji/maem, L., with F. 

 rufa, in March and April. Mijnnetes piceiis, Payk., with /"'. rufa, in 

 March and April. Amphotis marf/inata, Er., with L. fulu/inosiis, in 

 May. Monntoma conicicollis, Aube, with F. rufa, in March and April. 

 M. formicetorum, Thorns., with F. rufa, in May. 



The Genus Oporabia.** 



By LOUIS B. PROUT, F.E.S. 



In taking the above title for my paper this evening, I am, to a 

 great extent, taking iip an " unknown quantity; " not so much because 

 there is any great probability of the future discovery in remote parts 

 of the world of species which are congeneric with those at present 

 known, as because the whole of the known species of the group are so 

 closely allied that their number has been variously computed at from 

 one to six. I have employed the familiar generic title given by 

 Stephens, though, as soon as the much-disputed claims of Hiibner's 

 Tentamen have been settled one way or the other, this title will have 

 to give place to Fpirrita. Hb., Tentamen (type dilntata, Bkh.), or 

 Oporinia, Hb., Verz. (also with presumable type dilutata). 



In the National Collection at South Kensington, there are a few 

 out-lying species which may possibly bear generic relationship with 

 (>. dilutata ; but they seem to me so very dubious that, until something 

 is known of their life-history, I think it far best to leave them entirely 

 out of consideration. 



So far as I have investigated our two well-known British species, 

 I incline to think that they have a decidedly closer relationship with 

 the genus ChcimatoUa than with Staudinger's genus Cidaria, in which 

 he places them ; but, to some extent, they form a link between the 

 two. The imagines seem to me to have something in common with 

 Cidaria (Larentia) polata, which in its turn is closely associated with 

 the caesiata group ; but they have a far stronger resemblance, both 

 superficially and, I believe, in structure, with Cidaria (Venusia) 

 cambrica, and Packard unites them in one genus ; it is quite possible 

 there is a real affinity here — I do not know cambrica in its early stages. 

 The strong resemblance to Lobophora carpinata has also been noticed 

 by Borkhausen and Haworth. 



The larvfe bear considerable superficial likeness to those of Cidaria 

 (Larentia) didijmata, and another possible relationship in this direction 

 is worth investigating, though I very much doubt if it would prove at 

 all close. 



At any rate, it will be sufficient to confine attention for the present 

 to the species which we call dilutata, Bkh. (though our Scandinavian 

 neighbours more correctly call it 7iebulata, Thnb.), and those others 



* Read before the City of London Entomological and Natural History Society, 

 May 4th, 1897. 



