﻿SOLOMON ISLANDS TRIPTEROIDES — BELKIN 257 



dark scales. All bristles dark brown. Postnotum orange, central por- 

 tion brown ; bare. Pleural integument yellow-orange except for dark 

 brown postspiracular area, upper and lower posterior part of sterno- 

 pleuron, and meron ; pronotal lobes with short, broad, appressed dark 

 scales on posterior face and a few narrow, dark appressed scales along 

 outer anterior face; posterior pronotum with sparse vestiture of nar- 

 row, appressed dark scales on upper portion, a few broad scales 

 frequently' present; dark portion of sternopleuron with broad ap- 

 ])ressed silvery scales; variable portion of mesopleuron with similar 

 but translucent scales ; rest of pleura without scales. Pleural bristles : 

 Anterior pronotals about six dark hairs ; one strong posterior pronotal ; 

 usually three dark spiraculars; one strong dark propleural; lower 

 sternopleurals a line of light hairs ; prealars usually three dark hairs ; 

 upper mesepimerals a group of light hairs; other bristles absent. 

 Halteres light and bare at base and lower part of stem; upper part 

 of stem and knob with bronzy, appressed dark scales. 



Wings : Scales all dark. Outstanding scales small, rather narrow, 

 especially on lower surface. Base of lower fork cell closer to base of 

 wing than that of upper fork cell. Fringe mostly dark. Squama 

 fringed. 



Legs: Coxae and trochanters light, with translucent, broad, ap- 

 pressed, silvery scales. Rest of legs dark with purplish gloss, except 

 for following markings : Front femora with preapical silvery spot at 

 about 0.85 from base, a median silvery spot at about 0.62, and a golden 

 line from base to about middle on lower anterior surface ; middle fe- 

 mora with preapical silvery spot at about 0.90, a median silvery spot 

 at about 0.58, and a silvery line of variable length and width from 

 base to near middle on anterior surface ; hind femora as the middle 

 except that basal light line is absent and silvery spots are connected 

 with the light scaling of the ventral surface ; all femora light scaled 

 ventrally. Ventral surface of tibiae with some light scales; hind 

 tibia and base of first hind tarsus with specialized hairs. Enlarged 

 claw of front leg with a tooth beyond the middle ; simple on middle leg. 



Abdomen : Dark iridescent above with silvery markings ; segment II 

 with large, lateral silvery spot expanding posteriorly ; segments III to 

 VII with apical silvery bands interrupted in the middle ; venter golden 

 yellow. 



Genitalia (figs. 33, A, j,' 34, a) : Small, inconspicuous, retracted into 

 eighth segment, light colored on apex. Sidepiece (fig. 34, a) short, 

 broad, densely covered with scales laterally and ventrally; dorsal 

 surface with bristles only, bristles absent on basal half; basal lobe 

 arising at about middle of sidepiece, with about six large bristles and 

 smaller hairs at the base. Clasper long, fairly broad ; apical third with 

 numerous small hairs ; terminal spine short, rounded at apex. Meso- 



