305 



from différent localities leads me to think still that there are several 

 very closely allied species, and that the one now under our notice 

 is distinct, from a larger and less parallel species (wiiich moreover 

 has a very large female) and which I regard as L. vesperlina Fab. 

 We hâve in M"" Andrewes collection both maies and females of 

 L. gorhami, the latter not differing much from raales in size, the 

 abdomen and indeed the whole body beneath is yellow. In at least 

 those females of Z. vespertina that I hâve at présent examined the 

 abdomen has the first three ventral segments fuscous. 



48. Luciola tincticoUis n. sp. — Nigro-picea, nitida, protho- 

 racis lateribus late, femoribus, elytrisque ferrugmeis ^ Jiis apice 

 infuscatis^ saitello nigrescente. — Long. 8 raillim. (5, Q. 



Mas, ocidis magnis, occipite iialde sulcato nitidissimo; protho- 

 race parvo, angiUis anticis rotimdatis. 



Hah. India, Belgaum (Andrewes, July). 



This insect is distinguished araong its allies of the 'vespertma 

 group from India, by the pitchy black disk of the thorax which is 

 also obsoletely canaliculate. 



The head is deep black, smooth, except near the eyes where it is 

 slightly rugose, the thorax is punctiilate, small in the maie, and 

 though transverse, not so wide as in L. gorhami, and with the 

 front angles rounded off. In the female the thorax is larger and 

 more convex, the hind angles in both sexes are acute, a little more 

 produced in the female; the scutellum is pitchy-black. 



49. Luciola Sîcbstriala Gorh., Trans. Ent. Soc. 1880, p. 100. 

 Belgaum, 2 ex. (^ ; Burma, Rangoon, 1 ex. (^. 



Without ignoring the différence in punctuation, I do not see 

 how it is possible to unité this with Z. gorhami, to which it is 

 most nearly allied. Moreover in the one female example that I hâve 

 seen, there are certain diff'erences which tend to confirm its dis- 

 tinction. The head is yellow in front, it is broader and more of the 

 9 Z. vespertina form, the abdomen is partly infuscate, while in a 

 ç^" from Rangoon, the fuscous tint is darker and more suffused. 

 I fully admit the species (if such they are) are very perplexing, 

 and I would not attach much weight to colour either of body or 

 limbs. At the same time I must observe that the mode of punctu- 

 ring, e. g. whether dispersed irregularly, or dfawn into striœ, is 

 of the highest importance and has been so treated in ail familles 

 of Coleoptera, and as my spécifie name indicates, it is this, 

 and not <t le plus ou moins d'intensité de la ponctuation » , as 

 M. E. Olivier (Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. 1885, p. 359) remarks, that I 

 called attention to. And it does seem singular that M. Olivier 

 immediately describes as new, Z. cingulata (which is the Ceylon 



ANNALkS DE LA. SOC, BiNTOM. DB BELCigUE, T. XXXIX. 21 



