rhyUobrotica.] PHYTOPHAOA. 323 



in Kurope, and the rest in North America, Northern and Central Asia, 

 and India, the single Indian species being also recorded under another 

 name from Java; they are characterized by having the anterior coxal 

 cavities open behind, the elytra without distinct epipleurae, and the 

 claws of the tarsi appendiculate (furnished with a broad dilatation at 

 base); the thorax is subrectangular and parallel-sided, and the scutellutn 

 is truncate at apex ; the legs are rather long. The extensive exotic 

 genus Diabrotica is closely allied to Phyllolrotica, and differs chiefly in 

 having the claws cleft, and in the presence of distinct epipleurae ; it con- 

 tains more than two hundred species, which are chiefly confined to 

 Central America and the tropical portions of South America. 



P. quadrimaculata, L. Oblong, rather elongate, lighter or darker 

 testaceous or yellow, with the head, except front, the metasternum and 

 abdomen, and two spots on each elytron, black ; one of these spots is 

 situated before apex, and is larger than the other which is near the base; 

 head rather large with a distinct central furrow, antennae long, slightly 

 fuscous towards apex, eyes large; thorax transverse, parallel-sided, 

 almost smooth, considerably narrower than elytra ; elytra rather long, 

 depressed on disc, very finely punctured ; legs long, testaceous, with the 

 tarsi, and sometimes the femora, more or less infuscate. L. 5-7 mm. 



Male with the first joint of the tarsi dilated, and the first four ventral 

 segments of the abdomen short, the third and fourth being triangularly 

 impressed ; the fifth segment is very large, subtruncate at apex, broadly 

 impressed and longitudinally channelled in the middle. 



On Scutellaria galericulata (Common Skullcap), and on Utricvlaria ; it is also 

 found on alders ; local and, as a rule, not common ; Woking, Esher, Battersea Fields, 

 Netting Hill, and Hammersmith Marshes (formerly); Dray ton ; New Forest; 

 Bristol ; Crymlyn Bog, Swansea ; Monks Wood ; Ely ; near Burton-on-Trent ; on 

 Utricularia in Raincliife Bog, near Scarborough (Lawson) ; Scotland, Clyde district, 

 found on one or two occasions near Glasgow; Ireland, two specimens taken by the 

 Rev. W. F. Johnson at Coney Island, Lough Neugh ; Weise records it as locally com- 

 mon throughout Europe on Scutellaria galericulata. 



The v. munda, Weise, has the subbasal spots of the elytra wanting. 



LUPERUS, Geoffrey. 



In this genus the anterior coxal cavities are open behind, and the 

 antennae are long and filiform, in the male usually longer than the body ; 

 the thorax is transverse, much narrower than the elytra, and the 

 epipleurae are narrow and cease behind ; the first joint of the tarsi is 

 elongate, longer than the two following together, and narrower than the 

 third joint; the claws are short, and widened into a tooth-like dilatation 

 at base; the genus contains nearly a hundred species, which are chiefly 

 found in the more temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere, 

 although a few have been described from Brazil, Ceylon, Cuba, 

 &c.; tuirty-eight species are found in Europe, of which three occur in 

 Britain. 



T 2 



