88 On Mantidae in the British Museum. 



Pseudochceta Strachani, sp. n. 



Long. corp. 114, prothor. 36, cercorum 8, exp. al. 103 mm. 



Female. — Body and legs shining fawn-colour, the latter 

 indistinctly mottled with darker ; prothorax with the dorsal 

 carina well marked; laterally denticulated throughout and 

 slightly expanded above the front coxa? ; front coxa? slightly 

 curved, attenuated beyond the middle, and slightly expanded 

 again before the extremity ; dorsal and lateral carinas finely 

 denticulated, the front lateral carina with about 6 mode- 

 rately large teeth ; front femora half as long again, attenuated 

 and distinctly curved beyond the middle, with long pale spines 

 tipped with black, and the lower carina denticulated to the 

 base ; front tibia? slender, not more than half as long as the 

 femora, with only 6 spines on the outer carina, including the 

 terminal one, but with a great number of curving spines on 

 the inner carina, gradually increasing in length, and termi- 

 nating in an immense curving hook about two fifths as long as 

 the tibia?. First joint of the tarsi slender, curved, about half as 

 long as the tibia? and two fifths longer than the remaining joints 

 of the tarsi. Middle femora and tibia? rather short (especially 

 the femora) and attenuated in the middle ; all the carina? very 

 finely denticulated ; femora with an inner and tibia? with an 

 outer terminal spine. Hind femora and tibia? long, rather 

 slender, of nearly equal length, and all the carina? very finely 

 denticulated ; femora with an inner terminal spine, tibia? 

 with an inner and outer one. 



Tegmina subhyaline, clouded with fawn-colour on the 

 costal half; wings subhy aline, clouded with pink along the 

 costa, below which are several rows of light brown and sub- 

 hyaline blotches, and towards the centre the wing is orna- 

 mented with large irregular spots and bands of lighter yellow 

 and steel-blue. 



Abdominal lamina? slightly narrowed at the base, otherwise 

 uniformly broad, and obtuse at the ends. 



Hah. Lagos {Dr. Strachan). 



This very interesting species has a strong superficial 

 resemblance to Heterochata orientalis from East Africa, 

 described above. 



