1. ACROCERA 459 



^. Head (fig. 263) nearly globular, but when viewed sideways _ deeper than 

 broad ; back of the head inflated from top to bottom, and the inflation con- 

 tinued under the eyes to the face. Face (if the small triangular space be- 

 tween the lower parts of the eyes may be so denominated) dull black and 

 bare, with a conspicuous central furrow ending below in a small circular pit 

 which represents the mouth opening • the puff"ed-out back of the head begins 

 close to this, but the inflation is rather less on the upper third than on the 

 other part ; this back of the head bears fairly conspicuous yellowish grey 

 rather recumbent pubescence ; vertical space somewhat triangular, and by no 

 means small as it has to accommodate the small antennae and the three ocelli 

 of which the upper two are widely separated. Eyes enormous, quite bare ; 

 facets all equal. Antennae brown, very small and closely approximate at the 

 base; basal joint concealed, second apparently orbicular, third long and 

 narrowly ovate, with a long apical arista which is about four times as long as 

 the antennae. 



Thorax black, obscured by very densely crowded punctuation and by 

 abundant short close pubescence, the latter being mostlj^ tawny but greyer on 

 the sides and front part ; humeral swelling large, whitish yellow, extending 

 nearly half-way to the wing-base ; postalar calli bone-white, narrow near the 

 wing and gradually widening towards the scutellum until they enclose all 

 the sides of the base of scutellum ; mesopleurae similar in texture and 

 pubescence to the sides of the thorax, but the sternopleurae and the rest 

 almost bare : the sternopleurae may have along their upper margin a long 

 irregular yellowish spot which bears a short close yellow down. Scutellum 

 orange, with triangular black corner spots which occupy most of the lateral 

 (not dorsal) margins and extend a little on to the disc ; pubescence similar to 

 that on the thorax but shorter and more erect. 



Abdomen almost globular, humped, and most so at about the end of 

 the second segment but then curving down on the upper side to the 

 moderately pointed end ; when viewed from above the four basal segments 

 form an almost true sphere, with the fifth segment about half as long as each 

 of the three preceding ones and rapidly narrowing ; beyond this the genitalia 

 extend and are about half as long and half as wide as the fifth segment. The 

 abdomen is mainly bone-white or yellowish or even orange, with rather 

 variable black markings, which usually cover the middle of the almost con- 

 cealed basal segment, all the basal half of the second segment with three 

 projections extending downwards, of which the middle one is almost always 

 obvious but does not nearly reach the hindmargin whUe the lateral ones are 

 less constant and when present are well away from the sidemargins and may 

 extend right across to the hindmargin ; the black base of this second segment 

 widens towards the sides until at the actual sidemargins it often occupies 

 the whole of the segment except for the extreme white hindmargin ; third 

 segment with a small black middle basal spot, and with a conspicuous 

 black transverse spot at each side which occupies about one-third the 

 depth of the segment, beginning on the foremargin opposite where the 

 lateral extensions of the black band on the second segment should 

 be and sloping downwards on its lower side until at the actual side- 

 margin it occupies all the segment except the white hindmarginal hem as on 

 the second segment ; the fourth segment sometimes has an indication of the 

 middle basal spot^ but always has a triangular black spot at each side which 

 occupies all the sidemargin and a part of the foremargin ; the fifth segment 

 has similar but more restricted side-spots ; pubescence all over very short and 

 depressed, pale yellow, abundant but inconspicuous. Belly black, with the 

 hindmargins of the second and third segments often conspicuously whitish 

 yellow for about one-third of each segment, but on the fourth segment the 

 jjale hindmargin is narrower especially towards the sides, and sometimes all 

 the pale hindmargins are vague ; pubescence all over pale yellow, very short 

 and recumbent. Genitalia globular, conspicuous, darker orange, and almost 

 bare. 



Legs, including the coxae and trochanters, pale yellow with an inconspicuous 

 darkened streak along the front of all the femora, and with the tarsi con- 

 spicuously black on the apical half of the last joint ; tibiae especially the hind 

 pair slightly dilated towards the end. Claws long and black; pulvilli 



