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IV. A Synopsis of British Homoptera-Cicadina. 

 By James Edwards. 



[Read February 3rd, 1886.] 



The object of the present Synopsis is to provide students 

 of our British Cicadina with a concise descriptive cata- 

 logue of such species as have hitherto been recorded as 

 occurring in Britain, and, by furnishing the means of 

 identifying their captures, to add to the interest of their 

 pursuit. The study of these insects in this country is 

 still in its infancy, and, seeing that more than twenty 

 years have elapsed since the last attempt to deal with 

 the group collectively, it is felt that little apology is 

 needed for the present undertaking. 



The arrangement here adopted, and the characters 

 employed, are simply intended to apply to our British 

 forms ; but it is believed that the analytical tables and 

 short descriptions embrace the most reliable characters 

 assigned to the respective species, and will be found as 

 absolute as the difficulty of the subject will permit. 

 Every reasonable care has been taken to insure accuracy 

 in the bibliographical references, but the writer cannot 

 assume any personal responsibility in the matter, being 

 largely indebted in this respect to the Catalogue of 

 Messrs. Douglas and Scott, and the continental works of 

 Sahlberg, Flor, and others. Characters drawn from the 

 genitalia have not been used, except where absolutely 

 necessary, but it is nevertheless imperative that the 

 student should make himself thoroughly acquainted with 

 the structure of the latter, for, although in certain groups 

 {Acocephalus, Idiocerus, &c.), they scarcely present any 

 available differential characters, in others {Delphacidce, 

 Typldocyhidce, &c.), the most striking and constant 

 structural differences are observable. 



The crown is that portion of the head which is visible 

 from above, and the passage from this to the face (the 

 obliquely sloping under side of the head considered as a 

 whole) is i\iQ forehead. The face is generally divided by 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1886. PART II. (JUNE.) E 



