Odonata from Mesoj)otamin . 301 



was taken tlie tootli was distiticfly visible before the cover-glass 

 was put on theslido, but tbe slight pressure altered tlio position, 

 throwing the tooth nearly out of view or leaving visible only 

 a minute elevation which in reproduction may be quite lost. 

 The character seems to be good, but it would not be surprising 

 if in two such closely-allied species it sometimes failed as an 

 absolute test by itself. The hamules sometimes lequire to be 

 freed from adhering matter before examination. • 



(3) 'I'he apex of the penis in the preparations is different in 

 the two species (see PI. XIV. figs. 1 & 4). In dried specimens 

 this part is not always easy to examine. Preparations of 

 C. erythrcea from Aries, Madagascar, and M-sopotamia, and 

 of C.servilia from Mesopotamia and Bengal serve to confirm. 



Sympett'um decoloratum, Selys. 



2 c? c? , 2 ? ? , 8. v., 25. v., 9. vi. (Basra). 



All more or less immature, and, as the collector records 

 nothing regarding habits, probably casual captures. The 

 following short descri|jtions are based mainly on his notes : — 



^. Eyes: upper half brown-red, lower greenish. Vertex, 

 frons, clypeus, and genaj bluish white, a small black spot in 

 front of median ocellus and also blackish about lateral ocelli 

 and antennae; labruni and labium white. Thorax pale 

 greenish yellow, more pallid beneath with brown antehumeral 

 streaks, brownish at extreme anterior margin and with small 

 brown marking on either side of median suture next to the 

 brownish edging ; lateral sutures very slightly black. Legs 

 yellow ; femora and tibise with a black line, tarsi annulated 

 with black. Pterostignm dirty whitish. Abdomen: dorsum 

 yellowish orange, darker orange on the carina and slightly 

 darker on the posterior end of each segment, with faint 

 indication of a dot on either side ; traces of lateral lines 

 slight (see ? ) ; underside paler, with black median line. 



? . Eyes : upper half very pale brownish, lower bluish 

 green. Head and thorax very similar to ^. Abdomen: 

 dorsum dark yellow, carina dark orange ; sides greenish 

 fading into the dorsal yellow. Lateral blackisii streaks on 

 each segment broadest and most complete on 3, gradually 

 diminishing in extent on the following segments ; lateral 

 carina, es[)ecially of anterior segments, finely black j dorsal 

 carina of 2-3 distinctly blackish, also a black line at the 

 junction of 1-2 ; narrowly marked with black on each side 

 of dorsal carina of 8-9. 



Sympetrum fonscolomhei, Selys. 

 1 ? , Amaia, 12. viii. 



