Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Iviii. (19 14), No. 4. 



IV. Observations on the Homopterous Insect Phromnia 

 ~ (Plata) margmella Oliv. in the Himalayas. 



By A. D. IMMS, M.A., D.Sc, 



Reader in Agricultural Entomology , University of Manchester. 

 ( Received and read, January 27th, 1^14.) 



Several instances have been brought to light of the 

 Homopterous genus Phromnia (Plata) bearing a remark- 

 able resemblance to certain flowers. The earliest with 

 which I am acquainted is Frof. Gregory's^ account, 

 published in 1896. In the frontispiece to his book he 

 figures a cluster of insects belonging to this genus, closely 

 congregated on the upper part of a stem, and bearing a 

 curious resemblance to a flowering spike. The species 

 to which he refers exists in two forms, viz., a green and a 

 reddish one. In the illustration, the insects are repre- 

 sented so grouped on the stem, that the green individuals 

 occupy the upper portion, and the red individuals are 

 situated just beneath them, on the lower portion. In this 

 attitude they are curiously like a red-flowered spike with 

 the green unopened buds above. In 1902 Hinde- pub- 

 lished an article on this same subject. He remarks that 

 he had many opportunities of seeing the insect and still 

 oftener its larva in British East Africa, and his paper is 

 accompanied by coloured drawings made in the field by 

 his wife. He states that Prof Gregory's plate was 



^ J. W. Gregory, " The Great Rift Valley," pp. 273-275. 



- S. L. Hinde, "The Protective Resemblance to flowers borne by an 

 African Homopterous Insect, Plata tnis^rocincta (Walk), Trans. Ent. Soc, 

 Land., 1902, pp. 695-700; pis. xxvi.-xxvii. Also '^Proceedings," pp. xxvi. 

 and xxvii. 



April 15th, igi4. 



