﻿SOLOMON ISLANDS TRIPTEROIDES — BELKIN 245 



is somewhat darker than punctolateralis, the head is black-scaled, the 

 posterior pronotum pale-scaled below and bronzy or gray above, the 

 sciital vestiture light bronzy, the scutellar scales light bronzy, the 

 male palpi and the proboscis of both sexes entirely dark-scaled. T. 

 solomonis is even darker than atripes and is best distinguished from 

 this species by the bronzy black scales of the scutum and the purplish- 

 black head, abdomen, and legs. The majority of specimens of solo- 

 monis from Bougainville show lighter scaling of the scutellum, but 

 these cannot be confused with jmnctolateralis as they do not show any 

 of the other features of the said species. 



The separation of atripes^ punctolateralis^ and solomonis in the 

 larval stage is even more difficult. The comb scales of solomonis are 

 not restricted to the sclerotized lateral plates as figured by Edwards 

 (1929) ; there are several smaller ones arising ventrally and inde- 

 pendently of the plate. The large comb scales appear to be distinct 

 from those of atripes and punctolateralis in that they are usually 

 sharply pointed, while those of the other two are blunt and rounded 

 on the apices. It is possible that other differences exist in the head 

 hairs of the larvae, but there is so much variation in all of these hairs 

 in solomonis that such a separation would require the study of large 

 numbers of individuals of the three species. 



The larval habitats of the three species are identical as far as can 

 be determined from literature. All three species utilize tree holes and 

 various artificial containers in the neighborhood of human habita- 

 tions. T. solomonis^ in addition, has been collected in bamboo stubble. 

 All three frequently attack human beings and may become domestic 

 pests at times. 



The similarity in the morphology and biology of these three forms 

 and the extreme variability of solomonis (see below under "Varia- 

 tion") lead one to the conclusion that they are closely related. 

 Whether they are distinct species or represent merely geographical 

 subspecies of an actively mutating species remains to be determined. 

 T. solomonis is found throughout the Solomons and apparently does 

 not overlap with the other species which occur only in Australia. T. 

 punctolateralis has also been reported from Timor as atHpes var. 

 occidentalis Brug (1934). Numerous collections in New Guinea and 

 the New Hebrides made by entomologists in the armed services failed 

 to reveal a representative of this group. The isolation of solomonis 

 leads one to speculate as to its origin. It is quite possible that it was 

 originally brought over from Australia as it is more or less a domestic 

 species which could be easily transported by humans. It is believed 

 that the record of solomonis from New Caledonia listed below is based 

 on specimens which were accidentally brought over from the Solo- 

 mons, perhaps by aircraft. It is not known whether solomonis is now 



