73 



Prontista Kirkaldy. 



[Mr. Distant has persisted in synonymizing' this with PJicnice, 

 but the two are different. In Prontista the clypeus is distinctly 

 longer than the f rons ; while in Pheiiicc the frons is longer than 

 the clypeus, or. at least, not shorter ; and the venation of the wing 

 is much simpler in the Aethiopian genus than in the Australasio- 

 Oriental one. Formerly I was willing to adopt Mr. Distant's 

 views, as I have never seen a P he nice, and it was possible that 

 the figures of Boheman and Westwood might be somewhat inac- 

 curate, but Mr. Distant's own figures, in the "Fauna of India" and 

 "Insecta Transvaaliensia." drawn by the same careful artist in 

 each case, of ''Phcnicc iiiocsta" and of "Phcnicc abdomiiialis," 

 show that I was justified in my original contention that Prontista 

 is not a synonym of Phcnicc. G. W. K.] 



Until I can examine African specimens of Phcnicc I. shall re- 

 tain the genus Prontista. It is very distinct from allied genera 

 (excluding Phcnicc which I have not examined) in the reduction 

 of the female genital styles, which are represented l)y minute tu- 

 bercles. In this genus the cubitus has two branches and the 

 media five or six simple sectors, the median cross-vein being near 

 base of first sector so that the cubitus appears as three veined and 

 the media to have but four sectors.* Hind tibiae without basal 

 and submedian s]:)ine. There is a large group of species of similar 

 facies to nwcsta and luniholtai which will only be finally straight- 

 ened out by a study of the genitalia. Some of the following 

 species may prove to be synonymous, but I must leave it to those 

 who have the original types to describe or figure the genital 

 organs. 



(1) P. Inniholtzi Kirk. 



A. S. E. Belg. (1907) LI 126. 



Medio-ventral edge of pygophor produced into a ]>arallelogram- 

 ical process, longer than broad, the sides and apex being slightly 

 concave, in profile the base projecting: lateral edges slightly 

 rounded ;anal segment long, bent downward at rightangles before 

 the middle, the basal, straight portion subparallelsided, length 

 about three times the breadth, anus one-third from base, the distal 

 bent portion forming a long, finely-pointed spine ; styles projecting 

 to bend in anal segment, breadth slightly more than half the 

 length, margins rounded, apex produced into a finely-pointed, in- 



* We.stwood's figure of Phenice fasciolata shows five median sectors, the first 

 furcate: the costa, subcosta and general shape of tegmina also differ in these two 

 genera. 



