396 riiYTOPUAGA. [Consul t na. 



nearly to the head ; a full description will be found given by Chapuis 

 et Candeze (Catalogue des Larves dus Coh-opteri-s, p. 259); the laivaund 

 pupa of either C. viridis or eqitestn'a are figured by Westwood (Classi- 

 fication, i. p. 377, fig. 46, 9, 10, 11); the former is broad and flattened, 

 with the margins of the segments furnished with long and setose 

 spines, eight arising from the prothorax, four from both the nieso- and 

 metathorax, and two from each of the abdominal segments ; the ex- 

 tremity of the body is slightly recurved, and the elongate fork above 

 referred to as bearing the excrement arises rather above the anal 

 Aperture ; the pupa is flat, and furnished with tooth-like serrated appen- 

 dages, arising on each side of several of the abdominal segments ; the 

 prothorax also is greatly dilated, entirely covering the head, and is also 

 furnished with setose spines (v. Westwood, 1. c. p. 878). 



The genera are almost entirely tropical, and only one, Cassida, is 

 represented in Europe. 



CASSIDA, Linne. 



Of the forty-nine European species belonging to this genus, thirteen 

 occur in Britain ; the genus, as a whole, contains upwards of three 

 hundred species, which are very widely distributed from Siberia to 

 Madagascar and the Australian region, the majority, however, being 

 found in tropical countries ; the genus is characterized by having the 

 head hidden under the thorax, with the eyes oval and not prominent, 

 the antennae shorter than half the body, thickened towards apex, and 

 the elytra usually punctured in striae or rows ; the prosternum has a 

 short process behind the coxae, which is received in a fovea of the 

 mesosternum ; the body is suborbicular or oval, and the thorax is 

 usually semicircular ; owing to the great change of colour after death, 

 the species are in some cases very like each other in general appearance 

 as seen in collections, although in life they appear very different ; 

 this is, however, the case with only two or three British species, 

 which may be distinguished by other differences ; I have, therefore, 

 preferred to adopt the general colour distinction as the basis of the 

 following table, as it is much more obvious than the characters drawn 

 by Thomson and others from the direction of the frontal lines, the 

 colour of the head (which is always hidden or nearly hidden), the 

 ocellate punctuation of the elytra, &c.: 



1. Elytra with well-mnrked rows of punctures, 



which are very rarely irregular. 

 i. Elytra with black spots or markings on disc. 

 1. Hows of punctures on elytra fine ; inter- 

 stices broad, flat. 



A. Form larger and rounder ; thorax 

 shorter, finely but roughly punctured, 

 dull ; elytra without a continuous longi- 

 tudinal black .-utunil band C. M i KK i \. /.. 



