1882.) 07 



Distribution of the genus Platypleura : a coro-ection. — In the report of the 

 Proceedings of the last meeting of the Entomological Society of London {ante p. 48) 

 I am described as having " alluded to the genus Platypleura as occurring nearly all 

 over the veorld." I certainly did not make this statement, as the genus is absent 

 from the Wearctic, Neotropical and true Australian regions. Its area, however, is 

 still extensive, the tropical parts of Africa and Asia being its head quarters, though 

 in the first it is found as far south as the Cape, and in the second as far north as 

 China. It is also found throughout the Malayan Archipelago. What I ventured 

 to observe in my paper, as read by the Secretary, was this : " The more we see of 

 the Rhynchotal fauna of Madagascar, the greater is the amount of structural spe- 

 cialization apparent, and its distinct character revealed. This is particularly the 

 case with the CicadidcB, and every species of the widely distributed genus Platy- 

 pleura which has yet been received from Madagascar has also proved new to 

 science." — W. L. Distant, East Dulwich : 1st July, 1882. 



Eupteryx vittatus, Linn. — In a shady corner of my garden grows a patch of 

 ground-ivy (Nepeta glechomaj about two yards square, and on this, at tliis time, 

 JLupteryx vittatus is not uncommon. I have no doubt, seeing the pupa-skins are 

 there, that this is the food-plant of the species, which, although often found in 

 woods and other places among herbage, has not, as far as I can discover, ever been 

 identified with any particular food-plant. It probably feeds on other LahiatcB, as 

 do other species of the genus, but, whether or not, its association with this plant is 

 worth noting as an addition to a group of allied species of insects correlated in 

 attachment to related species of plants, whether by their respective evolution or not. 

 -J. W. Douglas, 8, Beaufort Gardens, Lewishain : Sth July, 1882. 



Occurrence of Molanna palpata, McLachl., in Perthshire. — I have just taken a 

 few specimens of the above caddis-fly at Lochan Creag Madaidh on the Grlen Lyon 

 hills ; the level of the Lochan is about 1750 feet above the sea. — James J. King, 

 Fortingal, Perthshire : ^rcl July, 1882. 



On Scymnus Pedtenhacheri, Muls., an additional British species, and some other 

 British Coleoptera. — Among some doubtful beetles from the collection of Mr. Wil- 

 kinson, of Scarborough, now in the possession of Mr. Mason, of Burton-on-Trent, I 

 found a specimen of a Scymnus that I could not determine. M. Brisout de Barne- 

 ville has kindly named it for me as Scymnus Redtenlacheri, Muls. {hisignatus,lio\\.), 

 a species new to the British list. Mr. Mason has since found several more speci- 

 mens under the name of S. limhatus, and it is quite possible that Mr. Wilkinson 

 may have distributed the species as S. limlatus. S. Redtenlacheri is, however, very 

 distinct from the true S. limhatus ; in fact, it belongs to a separate group, Neplitis, 

 Mulsant, of which we have only one representative, S. quadrilunatus. 111., which 

 has been struck off the British list, although there seem to be one or two specimens 

 extant that rest on good authority. 



S. Pedtenbacheri is a small insect (| lin.), of long-oval shape, with long grey 

 pubescence, sometimes entirely black, but usually with a longitudinal curved band 

 of a red or yellowish-red colour on each elytron ; all the specimens I have seen 

 possess this band ; the legs are entirely of a pale j^ellow colour. 



