126 GENUS MACBOPHYA. 



great length of the legs. With most species the lanceolate cellule is 

 shortly contracted, but with blanda, neglecta, and crassula, King, there 

 is a very short straight cross nervurc. M. sturmi, Klug, again, has an 

 oblique cross nervure. The form of the cellule, however, varies in the 

 same species as, e.g. in M. ribis ; that is to say, the contraction may 

 be longer or shorter. Mostly there are two median cellules in the hind 

 wing, but in M. carinthiaca, Kl., there is only one. 



The ground colour is generally black, with the legs, 

 thorax, and abdomen variegated with white, red, or 

 yellow, or all three. The sexes not unfrequently differ 

 in coloration, as, for instance, in hcematopus and dume- 

 torum, which have the four front legs yellow in the $ 

 instead of red as in the ? ; or, as in rustica, which has 

 the hind legs quite black in the 3 and black and 

 yellow in the ? . 



The species are commoner in southern than in 

 northern Europe, being especially common along the 

 Mediterranean. Eastward they extend into Japan and 

 into the Oriental region as far south as southern India. 

 They are not uncommon in the Nearctic region, thirty- 

 eight species being included in Ores son's catalogue. 

 There are close on fifty European species. 



Synopsis of Species. 



1 (10) Legs black and white, abdomen marked with yellow or white. 



2 (3) Four anterior legs white. Rustica. 



3 (2) Four anterior legs for the greater part black. 



4 (5) Stigma testaceous. 12-Piinctata. 



5 (4) Stigma black. 



6 (9) Abdomen and pronotum with white markings, scutelluni faintly 



punctured. 



7 (8) Vertex, scutellum, and coxse with white markings, sides of 



abdomen black, tegular partly black, $ with the apex of 

 abdomen black beneath. Albicincta. 



8 (7) Scutellum and coxai black, pleurse and abdomen marked with 



white, tegulse white, $ with the apex of abdomen white 

 beneath. Albipuncta. 



9 (6) Abdomen and pronotum without white markings, scutellum 



strongly punctured. Ribis. 



10 (13) Legs black, abdomen with a red band and a membranous white 



spot over posterior coxa). 



11 (12) Posterior coxa? with a large white mark, mouth more or less 



white. Blanda, 



12 (11) Posterior coxae without a white mark, mouth black. Neqlecta. 



13 (10) Legs reddish. 



14 (15) Abdomen with a red band. Ruftves. 



