PENTATOMID^E. 79 



widely divergent, sinuate, yellow, margins reflexed ; hinder angles 

 very prominent, forming a broad, angular, obtuse, up-curving black 

 point ; hinder sides narrowly yellow, gently rounded into the straight 

 posterior margin. On the 1st third of the disk are two irregular, 

 transverse, smooth spaces, with a few black punctures in their centre ; 

 from the anterior angles, within the yellow sides, is a broad, black- 

 punctured streak ; black punctures are also, but less thickly, spread 

 within the yellow sides to and within the black hinder angles ; on the 

 central portion of the disk the punctures are not black. Scutellum 

 crenate-punctate, the punctures black, and stronger than those on 

 the pronotum ; apex paler than the base. Elytra : Corium paler and 

 finer black-punctured than the pronotum ; anterior and posterior 

 margins a little rounded; Membrane with 7 nerves, smoke-brown, 

 with a dark cloud at the inner basal angle and within the anterior 

 margin. Sternum yellowish, finely punctured. Legs: thighs pale 

 yellowish ; beneath very finely haired, delicately black-punctured, and 

 with a fine, longitudinal, central black line, and a black spot at the 

 apex ; tibia pinky ; tarsi pinky ; 1st joint longer and stouter than 

 the 3rd ; 3rd black at the sides. 



Abdomen, above black ; Connexivum black and red alternately. 

 Underside finely punctured, yellowish -brown, sides paler. 



Length, 5^ 6 lines. 



Eare. Two specimens taken casually by Mr. J. J. Eeading, in 

 Devonshire, and one in the same county by Mr. Saunders. 



Flor (' Ehyn. Liv.,' p. 142) gives Pentatoma fuscispinum, Bohem., 

 as a closely allied but distinct species, and remarks that " it is easy 

 to be distinguished by the difference in the form of the pronotum. 

 With us as yet I have found no transition from one to the other." 

 Tet, after pointing out the differences, he concludes his remarks by 

 saying, that " the intermediate forms ( Uebergangsformen) are to be 

 considered as bastards, and not varieties." Fieber, however, in his 

 remarks on Tier's work in the ' Wiener Entomol. Monatsschrift,' 

 18G3, says without any doubt that P. fuscispinum is synonymous 

 with P. nigricorne. 



Cimex lunula, Fab., and Carpocoris bilunulata, Kolen., are quoted 

 by authors as synonymous of Cimex varius, Fab., but they are all 

 probably, varieties of P. nigricorne, Fab. 



