07 



Epilampra, Biu-meister. 



Handbk., IL, 594; Br., Syst., 167. 



Antenna3 setaceous, of half the length of the body or not much 

 more. Elytra leathery or ahnost horny, shining, veins scarcely 

 conspicuous ; anal area crowded with veins. Wings with radial 

 vein much branched ; uhiar vein pectinate inferiorly. Abdomen 

 depressed (in the male, often rather convex in the female), in 

 both sexes ovate, dorsal segments produced behind in acute teeth, 

 last ventral segment of male wholly concealed mostly. Supra-anal 

 lamina of both sexes transverse, bilobed. Subgenital lamina of 

 male transverse, rounded, with long styles. Cerci short, many- 

 Jointed. Only the males are winged, the larger females possess- 

 ing only lobiform elytra, which scarcely exceed the mesonotum. 

 In some of the new species described both sexes appear to be 

 wingless, in which case the lobes of the males are longer, and 

 rounded at the apex, while those of the female are truncate, and 

 some even do not attain to these, yet appear to be quite mature, 

 and both might be placed into separate subgenera. Another 

 remarkable circumstance is, that in the larval stages they are 

 paler and much more promiscuously marked than in the adult, 

 the marks becoming gradually obliterated, the description of the 

 larval forms are therefore necessary for complete recognition. 

 The insects live under bark, stones, logs, dead vegetable debris, 

 or bury themselves in loose dust or soil by day. The males fly 

 about just after sunset, or earlier on cloudy, dull days, while the 

 females wander about among the grass or ascend low objects. 

 The former are very swift on foot, but do not readily take to 

 their wings ; their flight is rather slow and fluttering, resembling 

 that of some large moths. When struck-at in an attempt of cap- 

 ture, they drop and stop suddenly at the flrst slight cover found, 

 or bury slightly in the dust, if such be there. This species never 

 frequents houses, and appears to be wholly destitute of odour, 

 especially the males. 



Epilampra gracilis, Brunner (Syst., 170). 



E. fornicata, Sauss.: atomifera. Walker (Brit. Mus. Cat., 69;. 



Male. — Dirty brownish grey. Face with a broad, black, 

 band between the eyes, nearly divided by a narrow pale line 

 anteriorly. Pronotum subrhomboidal, anterior and lateral 

 margins pale and unmarked ; hindmargin pale with eight to ten 

 short, radially arranged, black vitt?e ; disk pale, with more or 

 less thickly-scattered, irregular black spots, streaks and minute 

 dots, divided by a narrow pale medium line. Elytra pale, with a 

 black streak in front of the radial vein for about one-third of the 

 length from the base, remainder with numerous small blackish 

 dots scattered along the veins, excepting the pale costa. Wings 



