216 Transactions. — Zoology. 



below ; liind femora, below, on the outer edge, with three strong 

 spines, followed by two or three small ones, and several minute 

 spines on the inner edge ; above there are from seven to ten 

 minute spines, more or less rudimentary. Fore and middle 

 tibiae without any spines above, and the posterior superior 

 apical spine of the fore tibiae is sometimes missing. Below 

 the fore tibiae have four spines in each row, while the middle 

 tibiae have four in the outer (anterior) and two or three in the 

 inner (posterior) row. Hind tibiae, above, with four spines in 

 each row, below there is a subapical pair, followed by two 

 single spines. The subgenital plate in the male is longer 

 than broad, and the apex, between the insertions of the styles, 

 is straight. In the female the apex of the subgenital plate is 

 retuse, or notched. In the female the head is smoother, there 

 are no depressions under the antennae, and no transverse ridge 

 on the clypeus. 



Colours. — The pronotum is brown, almost black in the 

 young, with a thin, pale, longitudinal line, which is continued 

 on the other thoracic nota and on the occiput. The meso- 

 Dotum is generally paler than the rest of the body. The 

 abdominal segments, above, are banded anteriorly and pos- 

 teriorly with dark-brown, and usually there is a broad dorsal 

 longitudinal stripe of the same colour in both sexes. 



Length, 40mm. ; of head, 28mm. $ , 15mm. $ ; of pro- 

 notum, 9mm.; of thorax, 18mm.; of abdomen, 20mm.; 

 of ovipositor, 21mm. ; of fore tibia, 17mm. ; of hind tibia, 

 21mm. <y , 26mm. J ; of hind femur, 22mm. S, 25mm. 2. 

 Width of the head, 13mm. 3- , 9mm. 5 ; of pronotum, 12mm. 



Localities. — "Wellington; Stephens Island, in Cook Strait ; 

 Pelorus Valley ; Westland ; Lord Howe's Island (Brunner), 



A common species, generally found among dead wood or 

 in the hollow stems of old trees. Mr. Hudson says that 

 Melicyttis ramiflorus is a favourite tree, whose stems may 

 often be seen pierced with large holes, out of which the 

 insects emerge at night to feed on the leaves. They are 

 strictly arboreal in their habits, exhibit great skill in walking 

 along branches, and will climb up a thin stick Vv^ith wonderful 

 rapidity. ''= 



Hemideina figurata. 

 Hemidema figurata, Walker, Cat. Dermaptera Salts toria in 



the British Museum, part i., p. 162 (1869). Hemideina 



tibialis, Walker, I.e., p. 164 (Young). 



I have not seen this species. It appears to be distinguished 

 from H. megaceyhala only by the colour of the pronotum. 

 Probably it should be considered as a variety of that species. 



Locality. — Wellington (Earl). 



* "Manual of New Zealand Entomology," London, 1892, p. 113. 



