2. LEPTIS 273 



nearly, and the sixtli and seventli are quite, twice as wide as long ; blackish 

 coloring (though obscurely) occupying all the middle transverse of the basal 

 segment and leaving only narrow front and hindmargins and even those hardly 

 to the sides ; second segment with a large oblong blackish dorsal spot which 

 almost reaches the front and hind margins and the whole of the sidemargins 

 broadly blackish extending inwards about two-thirds of the way towards the 

 dorsal spot ; third segment similar to the second but the orange coloring 

 much more extended, leaving a diamond-shaped dorsal spot connected about 

 the middle with the bi'oad side-spots ; fourth segment similar to the third but 

 brownish black with the orange colour again more restricted ; fifth segment 

 black with a narrow orange hindmargin, and the remaining segments black, 

 and consequently the whole sidemargins broadly but irregularly black. Belly 

 with the membrane at the sides of the two basal segments clear yellow, and 

 broadly so on the basal segment • disc of the basal segment rather darkened 

 about the middle, and the next three segments light brown with narrow clear 

 yellow hindmargins, each segment becoming darker; fifth segment darker 

 brown with a narrow orange hindmargin ; the revolute sidemargins broader 

 and orange brown. Legs rather darker, with the darkening at the tip of the 

 hind femora and tiljise extensive though rather vague ; coxae all dark greyish 

 brown with the tip and the hind part obscurely orange. Stigma faintly 

 discernible. Length about 10-5 mm. Subsequent collecting on the same spot 

 produced nearly every intermediate form to the normal one, except that the 

 specimens showed a tendency to smaller size (which as usual tends to 

 darkening), to greyish black coxae, and to a flatter and more oblong abdomen. 



A much darker form has been taken by Dr J. H. Wood at Stoke Wood in 

 Herefordshire, and he sent me for examination two males and one female 

 taken on August 17, 1903, from which I made the following notes : — 



S. Thorax light brownish grey, with four dark stripes fairly obvious but 

 outwardly indefinite ; pubescence including a few inconspicuous pale hairs 

 on the hinder half of the disc, and also a few longer pale hairs on the 

 scutellum ; scutellum shining orange with a fair sized black base which is 

 dilated on the middle to almost half-way down the disc. Abdomen with 

 apparently a dark orange ground colour, but with the black markings occupying 

 most of it ; the four basal segments may be said to have three rows of rather 

 indefinitely outlined black spots somewhat vaguely connected at about the 

 middle of each segment ; the dorsal spots gradually increase in size and 

 become more diamond-shaped, while the continuous sidemargins are at their 

 widest on the second segment though widened at the basal corner of each 

 segment. Belly obscurely blackish orange on the four basal segments but 

 with narrow sharply defined yellow hindmargins and a narrow sharply defined 

 side membrane until more than half-way down the third segment. Front 

 coxae greyish black on all the front part, but posteriorly lighter grey with an 

 orange tint ; posterior coxa; ashy grey_ anteriorly ; middle femora a little 

 discolored beneath from just after the middle to almost the tip ; hind femora 

 and tibial with their tips broadly but not determinately blackened ; hind 

 femora antero-ventrally with a gradually widening blackish streak which 

 commences just before the middle and which near the tip occupies all the 

 under and front surfaces but leaves an obscure orange ring just before the 

 actual tip. Wings strongly tinged with orange ; subcostal vein darkened 

 froin near its base to about opi^osite the end of the mediastinal vein. 

 S(|uamai with brownish yellow margins. 



?, Frons brownish orange, but a little lighter around the ocelli and above 

 the antennae; face orange. Thorax brownish yellow with four faint 

 broad brown stripes, the middle pair being the most distinct, but when 

 viewed from behind all the dark stripes disappear ; scutellum almost as in 

 the male. Abdomen shining brownish black, but obscurely brownish orange 

 about the basal segment and on the hindmargins of all the segments. Belly 

 all black, moderately shining, with all the hindmargins narrowly but clearly 

 yellow and connected with the yellowish dorsal hindmargins ■ sidemargins 

 Avith a very narrow yellowish line along the edge of the dorsal plate. Legs 



S 



