the Coccinellidai of Japan. 23 



pp. 54-56 (1873) ; but only four of the species indicated as 

 new were described as such in Crotch's ' Revision of the 

 Coccinellidaj,' a posthumous work printed by the Syndics of 

 the Cambridge University Press, and published in 1874. 

 Since 1874 Weise has described five species as new from 

 Japan, and Harold and myself one each ; the present paper 

 introduces eighteen more, and brings the total number known 

 to fifty-seven. Twelve of these are either identical or 

 similar to European species ; the others are either known 

 Oriental species or species of an Oriental type. 



The synonymy of the Coccinellidas as a family is long and 

 perplexing, and I do not think it would serve any useful 

 purpose to repeat any part of it here: students who wish 

 for an elaborate list of names can easily compile one from 

 the Munich Catalogue of 1874 and from the pages of the 

 'Zoological Record ' for subsequent years. Coccinella decem- 

 punctata, L., requires two pages in the Munich Catalogue, 

 which gives seventy names, but Crotch, in his ' Revision,' is 

 content to cite nine; as a specialist in the group he deemed 

 this sufficient. Neither have I noticed varietal names, as 

 these also are recorded in the works named, and I consider 

 all such names an unnecessary adjunct to a synonymy 

 already confusing. Some varietal names have been given 

 apparently under the assumption that particular species have 

 certain similar aspects which are repeated in various indi- 

 viduals over and over again ; but in Ptychantis axyridis, 

 Pall., a curious variety may be found which may not occur 

 again (the patterns of this insect are almost as diversified as 

 those of the kaleidoscope), and a name given to such a variety 

 would be a " specimen " name, and would have no right to a 

 place in any catalogue. If varietal names are or have been 

 given to specimens which ultimately prove to be good species, 

 priority cannot be claimed for the names ; they have no 

 status unattached to known and described species to which the 

 authors originally assigned them. 



Epilachna, Chevrolat. 



The species of this genus are phytophagous, and as such 

 differ from the others of this series. 



Epilachna niponica, sp. n. 



Heniisphaerica, parura opaca ; capite disco nigro-maculato ; thorace 

 in medio triangulariter maculato, utrinqae bipunctato ; seutelluin 

 nigro vel rufo, dense punctulato ; elytris 28-maculatis. 



Mas. Segniento ventrali quarto canaliculato. 



L. 7|-8| mill. 



