﻿SOLOMON ISLANDS TRIPTEROIDES — BELKIN 265 



pleuron, mesopleuron, meron, postspiracular area) darker; pronotal 

 lobes with short broad appressed dark scales on posterior face and a 

 few narrow and broad scales on anterior face ; posterior pronotum with 

 sparse vestiture of narrow, appressed dark scales ; upper and posterior 

 half of sternopleuron and most of mesepimeron with broad appressed 

 translucent silvery scales; rest of pleura bare. Pleural bristles: an- 

 terior pronotals about four dark hairs ; one strong posterior pronotal ; 

 spiraculars usually three ; one light propleural ; lower sternopleurals 

 a row of light hairs ; prealars usually three short, dark bristles ; upper 

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

 light and bare on base and lower part of stem ; upper part of stem and 

 knob with appressed, dark scales. 



Wings: Scales all dark, outstanding scales short, rather narrow, 

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

 of wing than that of upper. Fringe dark. Squama fringed. 



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

 pressed silvery scales. Front femora with preapical silvery spot ex- 

 tending to 0.88 from base, median silvery spot at 0.56, and a narrow 

 yellowish line from base to almost middle ; middle femora with small 

 preapical and median silvery spots and a short, thin, basal silvery 

 streak; hind femora with a large preapical silvery spot and a long, 

 basal silvery streak extending to about the middle, both of these con- 

 nected with light ventral coloration; ventral surface of all femora 

 golden-yellow, remainder dark. Other leg segments dark except for 

 lighter scales ventrally; tibiae light golden below. Hind tibiae and 

 base of first hind tarsus with specialized hairs. Enlarged claw of front 

 leg with a tooth near the middle, simple on middle leg. 



Abdomen : Dark iridescent above, with silvery markings. Second 

 segment with large triangular, lateral silvery spot extending from 

 base to apex and prolonged mesad on apex ; segments III to VII with 

 lateral apical silvery bands, interrupted in the center. Venter golden- 

 yellow. 



Genitalia : Small, inconspicuous, retracted into eighth segment, light 

 colored on apex. Sidepiece short, broad, densely covered with scales 

 laterally and ventrally ; dorsal surface with bristles only, bristles ab- 

 sent on basal half ; basal lobe arising at about middle of sidepiece, with 

 about six large bristles, smaller hairs at base. Clasper long, fairly 

 broad ; apical third with numerous small hairs ; terminal spine short, 

 rounded at apex. Mesosome broad, large in comparison with sidepiece, 

 simple ; composed of two lateral plates, each with two dorsal projec- 

 tions and a ventral apical spur. Tenth sternite ending usually in two 

 teeth, but sometimes in one or three teeth. Ninth tergite with long, 

 slender, lateral lobes expanded at tip bearing 12 to 18 spines ; on dorsal 

 surface of each lobe four or five larger spines ; median emargination 

 long, about same width as one of the lobes. 



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