220 



A REPLY TO SOME RECENT GOMMENTS ON SOME 

 SPKGIES OF THE FAM. FULGORIILE 



by ^V.-B.. S»istttiit. 



Iii the Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg., 1907, pp. 120-127, M. Kirkaldy has 

 done me Ihe honour to criticise some récent identifications 1 hâve 

 pablished in my « Indian Rhynchota ». I thank the writer for his 

 désire to correct, but unfortunately he is inexact, and a reply is 

 necessary. 



1. — Dictyophora pallida Don. — In my enumeration and 

 description of Ihis species (Faun. Br. I., Rhynch., Ill, p. 243), 

 I quoted a report from the « Indian Mus. Notes » that this species 

 was destructive to Sugar cane in South India. Kirkaldy disputes tlie 

 identification of the original writer of that report, refering to the 

 unsatisfactory figure and criticising my having quoted it. He writes 

 « il cite la planche ci-dessus mentionnée ». This is an inexact 

 statement as I carefuUy refrained from doing so, refering to the 

 text only. He further observes a mais il faut croire qu'il n'a pu 

 consulter l'ouvrage et n'a fait que reproduire la citation ». This 

 again is not the fact. Without valuing the figure I accepted the 

 détermination, 1° because the late M. Atkinson to whom I referred, 

 stated (1886) thatcc the Indian Muséum possesses spécimens » ofthe 

 species, and 2" I had received from that Muséum spécimens of 

 D. pallida correctly labelled. Kirkaldy goes still farther, and quotes 

 that figure as representing Pijrilla aherrans Kirby, despite the 

 clear évidence that it portrays a mesonoturn with five longitudinal 

 carination whilst the mesonotum in Pyrilla is tricarinate. 



The synonymy of Pyrilla aberrans given by Kirkaldy (Ann. Soc. 

 Ent. Belg. 1907, p. 123) is therefore quite unwarranted, though 

 I however thank him for pointing out that Pyrilla Stâl (1859) = 

 Zamila Walk. 1862. I had inexcusably ncglected Stâl's note to that 

 efTect in his « Hemiptera Africana ». 



If the figure in the « Indian Muséum Notes » given as Diclyopliara 

 pallida, which I did nol quole, is lo be ascribed to Pyrilla Ihan 

 despite the five carinations to the mesonotum itis the 7^. perpusilla 

 Walk., and not the P. aberrans as so confidently stated by 

 Kirkaldy. That confusion does exist in India regarding the D. pallida 

 Don., despite the accurate détermination of Atkinson, is I am 

 aware the case. I bave received a séries of spécimens from 

 M. Lefroy collected in tlie Plains of Indià where it is destructive 

 to Sugar cane, and thèse represent the P. lycoides Walk. 



