of the Genus Pcecilocoris. 101 



The species bear a striking resemblance, in the arrangement of 

 their colours, to many of the species of Coccinella, being mostly 

 yellow, orange or red, spotted with black or violet ; they corre- 

 spond also in their tendency to variation, the spots sometimes 

 increasing in size, until, becoming confluent, they cover nearly the 

 whole surface, sometimes disappearing partially, or even entirely, 

 so that their proper position can only be determined from some 

 slight difference in the surface of the parts which, in the normal 

 state, would be darkly coloured. The difficulty of distinguishing 

 the species is increased by the remarkable uniformity which exists 

 in most of them, in the number and position of the spots on the 

 scutellum ; but we shall generally find that the underside of the 

 body (though even here there is some tendency to variation) will 

 present us with suflScient characters for this purpose, for it is sel- 

 dom the case that the developement of the dark colouring matter 

 is increased on both surfaces of the same individual. 



Sp. 1. P. latus, N. S. (PI. XIII. fig. 4.) 

 P. rotundato-ovatus, flavus, rubro-nebulosus, capite, maculisque 

 thoracis et scutelli nigro-violaceis ; abdomine rufo, immacu- 

 late, ano concolori ; pectore flavescenti, antice pallide rufo ; 

 pedibus nigro-violaceis, femoribus basi testaceis ; rostro* ab- 

 dominis medium attingente. ^, $. 

 Long. lin. 9 — 10. 

 Hab. in China. 

 In Mus. Brit. 



Rounded-ovate, not very convex ; above yellow, clouded with 

 orange-red, thickly punctured. Head violet, shining, thickly and 

 strongly punctured ; eyes brown ; ocelli I'ed. Thorax thickly 

 punctured, somewhat rugose, with the anterior angles, and two 

 large spots on the disc, extending to the posterior margin, deep 

 blue-violet. Scutellum thickly and finely punctured, slightly 

 wrinkled transversely at the base ; with a spot in each basal angle, 

 a large, irregular, transverse patch in the centre of the base, and 

 a transverse row of four spots, of which the two intermediate are 

 by much the largest, across the disc, behind the middle, deep 

 blue-violet ; the surface around all the spots clouded with orange- 

 red. Margins of elytra black. Abdomen beneath red, immacu- 

 late, thickly and finely punctured, and slightly pilose, with a strong 

 central furrow at the base. Anal apparatus reddish. Breast 

 thickly punctured, yellowish, variegated with blackish violet ; the 



* I have only noticed ihe length of the rostrum in the characters of those 

 species in which it exceeds the usual limits. 



o 2 



