1919.] 205 



found that they did not belong to that species, but to another of the 

 same genus which has not yet been recorded as British, namely X. toesmaeli 

 Tischb. ( = so/eff Vollenh.). Mr. Fryer has kindly given me a pair of 

 them for my collection, and has also placed specimens in the Natural 

 History Museum, S. Kensington. 



The two species may be easily separated by differences both of 

 coloration and structure. L. laricis is a very dark-bodied insect, in fact 

 almost entirely- black both above and beneath ; while in both sexes of 

 icesmaeli the pale yellowish underside of the body contrasts remarkably 

 with its black dorsal surface. For this reason v. VoUenlioven called it 

 solea, fancifully comparing its coloration to that of the fish so named. 



In all the specimens submitted to me (3 cf d and 2 $ $ ) a large 

 black patch covers the entire ocellar and vertical areas and spreads down 

 into the occiput, completely filling the latter, but leaving the tempora 

 and orbits pale. The thorax (except its yellow pronotmn and tegulae) 

 and practically the whole abdomen are also black above, and there is 

 a little oblique black streak on the mesopleura, just below the insertions 

 of the wings. But all the rest of the body — the whole face below the 

 antennae, the orbits, tempora, prothorax, pleura, breast, ventral surface 

 of abdomen, etc. — is pale luteous. So, too, are the antennae and legs 

 almost entirely, but the former are slightly clouded above (especially 

 their basal joints), and the tarsi (except the claw-joint) and, in the $, 

 the extreme apex of the tibiag are black (in tlie hind legs only). The 

 wings are clear, with brightly flavous stigma and costa, and the rest of 

 the venation pale yellowish brown. 



In structure, the two species belong to different sections of the 

 genus. L. icesmaeli belongs to the group containing pini, saxeseni, etc., 

 in which the fovea on the apical dorsal segment of the cJ abdomen is 

 rounded rather than angular at its base, and the saw-sheath of the $ 

 (viewed laterally) is sharply truncate, not rounded at the apex. It 

 differs from the other members of that group, («) by its very transverse 

 vertical area, many times more broad than long ; {b) by its compara- 

 tively parallel-sided $ abdomen, this being only very slightly compressed 

 towards the apex ; and (c) by the disapjjearance (as in JPrisfiphot'a) of 

 the 1st cubital nerve. This character is very unusual in Lygaeonematiis 

 spp., but appears to occur regularly in specimens of ivesmaeli. 



In L. laricis the apical fovea on the cS abdomen is angled at the 

 base, the $ saw-sheath is rounded at the apex, and the 1st cubital nerve 

 is regularly present. 



L. icesmaeli has hitherto onlv been recorded from Germanv and 



