454 Mr. Baly's descriptions of 



As may be seen by the above diagnosis, in this s^^ecies the 

 black markings on the elytra vary greatly; in the original 

 specimen of Hope (kindly examined for me by Mr, C. O. 

 Waterhonse) the four central sjiots are confluent and form a 

 large quadrate patch on the middle disc of each elytron. 



2. Sphcnoraia fttlgida, liedt., Hug. Kaschm. iv, 1848, p. 554 

 {Merista, Cat.). 



Var. A. Corpus nietallico jjurpureum, autennis nigris, elytris 

 viridi- aut cupreo-aureis. 



Var. B. Corpus suj)ra viridi-aureiim. 



Var. C. Corpus totum (autennis exceptis) metallico-purpuroum. 

 Hab. The Hills of Assam. 



Genus leptarthra, Baly. 

 Whilst engaged in working out the insects of the present 

 collection, I have had occasion to look into the distinctive 

 characters separating Dr. Chapuis' genus Merista, from Lep- 

 tarthra. The two groups agree so closely, both in hal^it and 

 other essential points, that the armature of the claws, on Avhich 

 Dr. Chapuis has alone divided them, must as in Corynodes^ be 

 considered of secondary importance ; in any case my original 

 definition " unguiculis imidentatis " will agree better with the 

 species placed by Chapuis in Merista than with that left by him 

 in the older genus. Leptarthxi as thus extended forms a very 

 natural genus, the species of which are separable as shewn below, 

 into two good sections. 



Section I. (^Merista, Chapuis). 



UnguicnU bifidi, dente interno breviori. 



L. irifasciata, Hope {Haplosonjix v. Har. Cat.)* 

 ,, quadrifasciata, Hope. 

 ,, interrupta, Kedt. 

 ,, sexmaculata, Redt. 

 ,, fraternalis.^ Baly. 

 „ Dohrni, Baly. 



* L. trifasciata, Hope, is very nearly allied to L qvadrifasrinfa. 

 Hope, it may be known by the narrower, smooth and immaculate 

 thorax, by the more strongly produced anterior anofles of the latter 

 and by the more finely punctured elytra. 



