Lytta.| HETEROMERA. 101 
it is even said to be imprudent to sleep under trees on which the insects 
are abundant ; taken internally Cantharidin appears to be a dangerous 
irritant poison. 
Loschge (Beitrag zur Gesichte der Spanischen Fliege in Naturforschen, 
t. 23, 1788, p. 37-48) gives an account of the first stages of the insect, 
which is quoted by Mulsant (Vésicants, pp. 159, 160); he, however, 
describes a minute larva which is lemon-yellow when it emerges from 
the egg and soon changes to a brownish colour, and by its activity and 
general structure appeared to be probably parasitic upon certain 
Hymenoptera, like the larva of Meloé,; according to Latreille (quoted 
by Westwood, Classification I. p. 301) the larve ‘“‘reside underground 
and feed upon the roots of vegetables, and are produced from a mass of 
agelutinated eggs; they have the body soft, and of a yellowish-white, 
composed of thirteen segments, with two short filiform antenne, and six 
short scaly feet ;”’ there seems, however, to be some confusion with 
regard to the life history of the insect, which requires further clearing up. 
L. vesicatoria, L. Elongate, parallel-sided, shining, of a bright 
golden-green colour, sometimes with bluish or coppery reflections, under- 
side more or less coppery, and more smooth and shining than the upper 
side ; head broad, wider behind, with a strong central furrow, diffusely 
punctured ; antenne dark, metallic-green at base, longer in male than in 
female ; thorax transverse, about as broad in front as head, gradually 
narrowed in a straight line to base, punctured much as head, anterior 
angles marked and somewhat raised; elytra parallel, bluntly rounded at 
apex, finely and closely rugose, with two rather feeble but distinct 
raised lines on disc of each; legs long, metallic. L. 12-20 mm, 
Male with the antennz longer than half the body, with joints 3-10 
linear; the anterior tibia armed with one broad spine, and the first 
joint of the anterior tarsi strongly emarginate internally ; the last seg- 
ment of abdomen is also deeply incised. 
Female with the antenne shorter than half the body, with joints 
3-10 oblong, and the anterior tibize armed at apex with two spines; 
the last segment of the abdomen is entire or very slightly emarginate. 
On privet, ash, &c.; rare in Britain; Colchester, near which town it has been 
taken in some numbers by Mr. Grapes and others ; Cambridge (Crotch) ; Hampshire 
(Moncrieff) ; Stephens records it from ‘‘ Cheltenham, Bottisham (near Cambridge), 
Hitcham, and near London.”’ 
RHYNCHOPHORA. 
The Rhynchophora form a series which is apparently isolated from 
the rest of the Coleoptera; it must, however, be admitted that it is 
hard to separate them on any single character, and some few genera 
bear a superficial resemblance to members of the ordinary groups of the 
order ; thus, for instance, the Rhinomaceride, by the presence of a 
labrum and normal flexible palpi as well as by the 11-jointed and non- 
