1896] 24;0 



flavescent, almost, sulphur-like in colour, thicker in front and very gently divergent. 

 Femora between black and red in colour. Under-surface strongly pubescent, even 

 the abdomen being very hairy. In the female the abdomen extends as far as the tip 

 of the elytra, in the male it is much smaller. The antennse differ very little in the 

 sexes, and are shorter than usual, the three terminal joints especially so. 



I have much pleasure in naming this — one of the most remarkable 

 of the Hawaiian insects— in honour of Mr. R. C. L. Perkins, its 

 discoverer. His indefatigable and disinterested labours call for every 

 acknowledgment from those who are acquainted with them. P. 

 Perkinsi is a great rarity, it is attached to the bastard sandal tree, 

 Myoporum. A single specimen was found on Mauna Loa on June 

 25th, 1892, at an elevation of 3500 ft. Mr. Perkins was, however, 

 quite unable to find any other examples till 1895, when he captured 

 six specimens at Kilauea, in Hawaii, in the month of July. 



PlAGITHMTSUS YARIAIfS, It. sp. 



Gracilis, Jlavo-rufus, antennis thoraceqiie nigris, •pedihu& colore variahi- 

 libus, femorum hasi serwper Jiavo ; thorace alhido-vittato ; elytris hasi fulvo 

 dense punctata opaco, laterihus flavis Icevigatis nitidis, singula ad suturam 

 linea albida pubescente, anterius versus latus abrupte divergente, sutura ipsct 

 inter tineas fuscescente. Long., 8^—14^ mm. 



Var. a. Thorace rufescente. 

 „ j6. Femoribiis pasterioribns tricalaratis, basi flavo, media nigro, 



apice riifo. 

 „ y. Elytris ante furcam albidam plaga transversa nigricante. 



This appears to be the most variable of the genus ; it is very closely allied to 

 P. Blackburni, and as that species is also variable, I felt sure that a close examina- 

 tion would result in demonstrating the specific identity of the two forms ; but the 

 result is otherwise. Certain points are constantly different in the two, and the 

 variation of each is different ; for instance, each varies in the colour of the hind 

 femora, the black colour being deficient in some examples, but in P. Blackburni 

 when the deficiency occurs it is in the middle of the femur that the black colour is 

 wanting, the tip of the femur being black and the middle red ; in P. varlans the 

 reverse is the case, and the middle is black, the tip red. The most constant dis- 

 tinctive characters are the black antennae of P. varians, and the fact that the suture 

 of the elytra between the white lines is dark, whereas it is pallid in P. Blackburni. 

 In P. varians the elytra, except at the base, are more free from punctuation. The 

 black colour in front of the white fork that is constantly present in P. Blackburni, 

 is nearly always absent in P. varians, and when present it is not so definite as in 

 P. Blackburni. 



A very fine series has been obtained of this species, it having been 

 met with on several occasions in the island of Hawaii, on Mauna Loa, 

 and at Kilauea. 



{To he concluded in our next). 



