imi 197 



they naturally fell into three groups ; the first characterized by its 

 conspicuously white pronotum, the second by its black colour and 

 brownish-yellow elytra, and the third by its entirely black appearance 

 owing to its black body and pitch-brown elytra. Subsequent investi- 

 gation shows that these three forms really represent three structurally 

 distinct species, the males of which may be characterized as follows : — 



1 (2) Pronotum (except a black patch behind each eye) white. Penis a blunt 



deflexed hook (fig. c) pellucida, Fab. 



2 (1) Pronotum black or blackish, hind margin very narrowly pale. 



3 (4) Elytra brownish-yellow. Penis bifid to base (fig. J) dijfficiHs, n. sp. 



4 (3) Elytra pitch-brown. Penis bifid, but not to the middle (fig. a) 



discreta, n. sp. 



In a series of specimens several examples will always be found in 

 which the penis is so far exserted that the characters given above may 

 be observed with an ordinary Coddington or similar lens, the " appen- 

 dicibus connatis perpendicularibus " of the anal tube described by J. 

 Sahlberg and figured by Fieber being in reality two large fiat hooks 

 which grip the penis between them. The three species above named 

 all occur by sweeping in marshy places, and are all included in my 

 description of L. pellucida in Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1886, p. 78, I 

 cannot now give any certain characters by which the females of these 

 three species may be separated. 



LiBURJfIA PTJlfCTTJLUM, Kbm. 



Kirschbaum, Cicad., 25, 10. 



This is a good species, and not merely a synonym of L. pallidula, 

 Boh., as may be seen from the following comparative characters :— 



L. PALLIDULA. L. PUNCTULtrM. 



Length, 2| — 3 mm. Length, 3| — 4 mm. 



Cheeks very rarely with a punctiform Punctiform black spot on the cheeks 



black spot. very rarely wanting. 



Middle nerve of elytra brown at the Middle nerve of elytra black to the base, 



apex, the colour very rarely reaching brachial nerve and and those of the 



beyond the middle. clavus frequently black. 



Appendages of anal tube reaching straight Appendages of anal tube distinctly 



out behind (fig. e). curved upwards (fig. d). 



j ^' r. --^y . — . My description oE i.^«Z//(/2(Za 



^"^^^ Z,^,^^x / y) {I. c, -p. 65) helongsto L.punctulnm, 



'^v J^ and the female examples there 



(^ ^ / queried as a distinct species are L. 

 1 pallidula proper. 



oi 



•e, ' 



