—31 — 



On the genus Sympetrum, XavDian. 

 By Dr. H. A. Hagkn. 



Mr. E. Newman, 1833, in Entomological Magazine, vol. I, p. 511 

 10514, in a paper named "Entomological Notes," after treating some 

 other subjects, published a new genus Sympetnim, belonging to the 

 genus Z//>(^////A? of Dr. Leach. Of the British species, belonging to this 

 genus, are described : S. sco/ica, Donovan ; S. ni/ostigma, Newman 

 (= Z. sangidnea, Muell.) ; ^. vulgatum, L. (= non, Linn.-; sfriolafa, 

 Chp.); -5". basale, Newm. (= L. sangiii?iea, Muell.); S. flavtnlata. 

 Newm. (= L. Jiaveola, L. ). The remainder of LihrUida he divided into 

 three genera, as Mr. Newman states. In a foot note the characters are 

 given as follows : 



Sympefrum, abdomen laterally compressed — Ex. vulgatum, L. 



Or/Iicfruiii, abdomen laterally parallel-- Zlw carulescens, F., can- 

 cel /alum, L. 



Platetruin, abdomen depressed and dilated — Ex. deprcf^sum, L. , 

 consparcahaii, F. 



Lcpfeirum, abdomen conical and pointed — Ex. (juadrimaculatuin. 

 L. , prcpnuhihim, Newir. 



"They will," the autlu)r adds, ".n ad j^robabdity resolve eventually into 

 three distinct genera, and as such I had once prepared them for publica- 

 tion together with Syjupetrnm as below, but a dislike to tiaiiie-giving in- 

 duced me to relinquish them." I think by this statement it is evident, that 

 the three last genera, which Mr. Newman has himself later, duiing 43 

 years, never used, not even mennoned, have certainly no right of priority. 

 Lideed, Ento. Mag., I, p. 416, he speaks of Lil>e//ula pnenuljiia and Z//'. 

 quadrimaculata, and ibid., vol. Ill, p. 151, prints in a paper of his friend 

 Ed. Doubleday, Lib. quadrimacidata, L. depressa, L. prcpnuhila. The 

 characters given for the genus Sympetrum are : Caput metathorace latins 

 (so it is in every species of Odonata) ; propodeon podeonque in com- 

 missura incrassata (common to every species of Odonata. but stronger in 

 the males) ; segmenta sequentia lateribus compressa (among the species 

 of Sympetrum only in the females, mostly cylindrical in the males) ; pro- 

 telum ac adjacentia plus minusve incrassata (common to nearly every 

 species of Odonata, because these parts contain the internal genitals) ; 

 telum minutum (common to all Odonata) ; teli appendices notae caeteris 

 distinctcC vix privbent ; alarum stigma utrinque conve.xum (without value). 

 Mr. Newman, as f^ir as I am able to ascertain, mentions only twice 

 more the name Sympetrum. In ]".nt(\ Mag., V, 484, where he con- 



