352 



lledescrqition. 



cJ 2 • Head vai-ying from yellow to reddish brown ; proboscis 

 above and at tip darker brownisli, ])alpi yellowish. Antennal 

 scape yellow, flagelluiu black, the joints slightly but distinctly 

 enlarged at base where they bear the usual verticillate hairs. 

 Thorax varying from yellow to orange and reddish brown ; the 

 three usual dorsal stripes, the middle one nearly always very 

 indistinct on the anterior part, this indistinctness sometimes 

 extending back to the middle of tlie stripe ; the outer ones often, 

 but not always, indistinct at their tips, never curved outwards or 

 downwards ; post-sutural stripes sometimes contiguous to those 

 in front, the narrow black streak in front of the wing and below 

 the edge of the dorsum rather more conspicuous than usual. 

 iScutellinn mainly blackish ; metanotuin with upper half yellowish, 

 somerimes with a thin median dark line, hjwer half blackish. 

 Abdomen normally brownish yello\^-, but varying considerably in 

 shade towai-ds entirely yellow or entirely reddish brown ; the 

 black markings very variable, forming sometimes an elongate black 

 spot on each segment, more or less widened on the hind margin, 

 tlie dorsum of the apical segment generalh' wholly black or nearly 

 so ; sometimes occupying nearly all the dorsum on ull the seg- 

 ments ; sometimes barely widened posteriorly, especially in the 

 male and on the basal segments. In the female, the black colour 

 is more extensive, often filling the entire dorsal surface. Belly 

 mainly yellowish but blackish towards the tip. Genitalia con- 

 spicuous, brownish yellow, consisting of an oblong rather small 

 dorsal plate, a pair of claspers, of which the basal joint is normally 

 consti'uctecl, with a large flattened, almost leaf-shaped, pointed 

 second joint, which bears on the inner side a narrow black linger- 

 like appendage ; some smaller intermediate organs are apparent. 

 Ovipositor brownish yellow, shining, bare, normal. Leys brownish 

 yellow, extreme tips of femora and tibijB very narrowly black, 

 apical half of tarsi blackish. Wwgs pale grey, subcostal cell 

 broM-n ; stignja brownish, varying in intensity ; prongs of upper 

 branch of 4th longitudinal vein issuing generally widely separated, 

 occasionally simultaneously or nearly so, but 2nd posterior cell 

 never petiolate. JIalteres dark yellowish brown. 



Length 13-21 millim. 



Eedescribed from a good series ni the Pusa collection, all from 

 Pusa (except one) bearing dates of every month except May, June, 

 and December, the species apparently occurring there nearly all 

 the year. One specimen is from Chapra, Bengal, undated. One 

 s|)ecimen in the Indian Museum from Katihar, Purneah district, 

 Bengal, 7-ai.viii.lO (Faiva). 



Type in the British Museum. 



The principal feature of this species is its reddish brown colour, 

 and the obliteration of the anterior end of the median thoracic 

 stripe. 



