new Species of Diploptera. 47 



Alastor, Lep. 

 Alastor hraunsiy sp. n. 



$. Niger, rugose profundcque punctatus ; segmentisprimo(dor8ali) 

 et secundo (dorsali et laterale ventrali) anguste apicaleque flavo- 

 fasciatis ; pronoti angulis flavis ; alls fuscis. Tegulis maximis, 

 pedibus anterioribus intermediisque plerumque, ferrugincis. 

 Seginenti mediani lateribus bituberculatis, postscutello area 

 mediaque segmenti mediani, nitidis. Abdominis segmeuto 

 secundo dorsali V-sulcato parum profundo. 



Long. 9 mm. 



? . Black ; the extreme anterior angles of the pronotuni 

 and narrow apical fascife on abdominal segments 1 (tergite) 

 and 2 (tergite and laterally on sternite) pale yellow ; tegulse 

 very larye, feyuginous ; anterior femora, tibise, and tarsi 

 wholly, and intermediate and posterior femora and tibise 

 partly, ferruginous. ^Vings fuscous. 



Mandibles with four longitudinal carina, approximating 

 apically ; clypeus subtriangular, convex, apically truncate ; 

 pronotuni truncate anteriorly, about as broad as head, 

 widening towards tegulas, lateral angles acute ; scutellum 

 separated from disc of niesonotum by a transverse suture and 

 overhanging postscutellum ; postscutellum shining ; median 

 segment with surface of its truncation medially shining, 

 lateral angles produced to form two spines. First abdominal 

 segment cupuliform ; second segment somewhat constricted 

 at base, the tergite with a broad, irregular, shallow furrow, 

 widely V-shaped, the extreme apex of segment flat. Punc- 

 tured — head, scape, thorax, and abdominal segments 1—3 

 coarsely and evenly, terminal abdominal segments finely. 

 The whole covered witii a fairly long and dense pale brown 

 pubescence. 



Length 9 mm. 



1 ?,4 S S- 



South Afeica : Willowmore, Cape Colony {Dr. H. 

 Brauns), to whom the species is dedicated. Dr. Brauns 

 intbrms me that the majority of his specimens of Alastor 

 were caught wdien " bitten fast to a dry stem for niglit rest." 



Females are rare. 



(J . Strongly resembles the female, and has the clypeus 

 black, an unusual feature in the males of this genus. The 

 suture on the second tergite is more clearly defined in the 

 males than in the unique female. The amount of ferruginous 

 on the legs is subject to variation. The antennae terminate 

 in a hook. 



