48 [February, 1906. 



latter species. This lustre seems to be due to a more superficial 

 reticulation of the upper surface in antlwhla. 



(c) In the colour of the legs anthohia is distinct, the red being 

 of a colder and more umber shade than is the case with the other two 

 species. 



This character is constant in my long series taken at Leighton 

 Buzzard, and is best distinguished when a number of individuals of 

 each species freshly killed are placed close together on their backs in 

 separate batches, and the batches side by side. In this way the black 

 under-sides show up the different shades of red in the legs, which are 

 mostly folded over them. The difference is visible when the batches 

 are composed either entirely of mature specimens or of specimens of 

 all degrees of immaturity mixed. I have submitted batches of 

 anthohia and familiaris to different people who have readily dis- 

 tinguished this difference, among them Mr. E. A. Waterhouse. This 

 gentleman first called my attention to the greater brightness of the 

 $ anthohia as compared with the ? familiaris in some thirty examples 

 which I had sent him. 



(3) General outline — In anthohia the elytra have the appearance 

 of being wider behind the middle than in familiaris or luclda. This, 

 I think, is actually due to the narrowing of the elytra at the base 

 proportionately, to meet the contracted base of the thorax, whereas 

 in familiaris and lucida the thorax is widest at the base, and the base 

 of the elytra proportionately so. This character is not sexual. It is 

 variable and very marked in some individuals. 



(4) Smaller thorax — As a rule the thorax in anthohia is not only 

 shorter but smaller than in familiaris and lucida, thus enhancing the 

 heavy appearance of the insect behind. 



(5) Prescutellary j)ore. — As to other differentiating characters 

 mentioned by Putzeys and Ganglbauer, the prescutellary pore is an 

 excellent character by which Bedel separates the species from 



familiaris 'M\& lucida. It is umbilicate, piliferous, attached to the base 

 of the scutellary stria, or, in some cases, situated close beside it. I find 

 that, in one per cent. (I have seen three in 300 specimens), one of 

 these pores may fail, but never, in my experience, both. On finding 

 one specimen in my first eighteen minus a pore, I expected, in a large 

 number of examples, to find a case in which both were absent ; but 

 1 have not seen an insect bearing the characters of anthohia without 

 the pore being present on one or other elytron. In the instances 

 where one pore was absent all the other characters of anthohia were 

 present in a marked degree. 



