Jan.— Feb. 1SS3.] 



PSYCHE. 



9 



their order on a portion of an elytron, 

 the little circle about the base of each 

 scale showing the limits of the funnel- 

 shaped depression in which each scale 

 is inserted. These scales are about 

 0.05 mm. long by 0.03 mm. wide. 

 Thev are of three difl'erent colors — 

 wliite, light brown and black — and they 

 all contain air. These scales were de- 

 scribed by Fischer and I introduce and 

 figure them here (fig. 3, a) only because 

 thc\ furnish a good example of what 

 Fischer termed fibrous scales (Faser- 

 schuppeii). 



Of other species of dermestidae I 

 only examined Dermesfes lardarhts &nA 

 Anthrcmts varius^ for I have had access 

 to but a portion' of ray collection, which 

 I hope to examine more thoroughly 

 later. The former species was clothed 

 with hairs onlv. 



paring fig. 2, a with fig. 2, c, both of 

 which figures are ecjually enlarged. 



At this point may be noted the pres- 

 ence of two sorts of hairs on the larvae 

 of certain dermestidae, as described by 

 De Geer,^" Dujardin^' andThevenet, ^'-'* 

 and the existence of scales on the larvae 

 of Aitagcttus pcUio, as described and 

 figured b\- DujariHn,^^ the latter species 

 being, so far as I can discover, the only 

 coleopteron from the larva of which 

 scales are Ivuown. 



The scarabaeidae contain a number 

 of genera in wliich scales are the rule 

 rather than the exception, and, among 

 them, for the first time, comes the con- 

 sideration of brilliantly colored scales, 

 those of the genus Hoplia. 



SCALES OF IIOPLIA COERULEA. 



SCALES OF ANTHKENUS VARIUS. 



The figuration of A. varius is due, 

 like that of A. scrophulariae, to scales 

 which do not lubricate. The scales of 

 A. variiis (fig. 2. c) are narrower than 

 those of A. scrophitlariae, being about 

 0.05 mm. long by 0.015 mm. wide. In 

 color thev are either dark brown, yellow 

 or white ; and they are striate, but the 

 striae, about six in number, are rather 

 cibscured bv the presence of much air 

 in the scales until the latter are treated 

 with liquid reagents. The fine notching 

 at the apical end of scales of ^. vai-ius 

 is not so evident as it is in those of A. 

 scrophu/ariae, as can be seen by com- 



This well-known European insect is 

 light metallic blue above and silvery 

 beneath, but when deprived of the scales 

 to which its metallic coloration is due, 

 it is brown. The scales of the elytra 

 and upper surface of the thorax are 

 imbricated ; those of the abdomen, legs 

 and under side are not imbricated. 



The scales of //. coenilea vary in form 

 from round to ovate and lanceolate, most 



^ De Geer. C. Memoires pour servir a 



I'histoire des insectes ... v. 4, 1774, p. 



pi. 8. fig. 4-6. 



■*' Thevenet, J. Note sur les polls de la 

 larve de rajiihycnini vcrbasci. (Ann. 80c. 

 entom. Fr., 1874, s. 5, v. 4; Bull, p. 84, 97.) 



^ Thevenet, J. Note sur les polls de la 

 larve du megatoma serra. (Ann. Soc. en- 

 tom. Fr., 1874, s. 5, V. 4; Bull., p. 112.) 



