Lytta.'] HETERuMKRA. 101 



it is even said to be imprudent to sleep under trees on "which the insects 

 are abundant ; taken internally Cantharidin appears to be a dangerous 

 irritant poison. 



Loschge (Beitrag zur Gesichte der Spanischen Fliege in Naturforscben, 

 t. 23, 1788, p. 37-48) gives an account of the first stages of the insect, 

 which is quoted by Mulsant (Vesicants, pp. 159, 160); he, however, 

 describes a minute larva which is lemon-yellow when it emerges from 

 the egg and soon changes to a brownish colour, and by its activity and 

 general structure appeared to be probably parasitic upon certain 

 Hymenoptera, like the larva of Meloe ; according to Latreille (quoted 

 by Westwood, Classification I. p. 301) the larvae "reside underground 

 and feed upon the roots of vegetables, and are produced from a mass of 

 agglutinated eggs ; they have the body soft, and of a yellowish- white, 

 composed of thirteen- segments, with two short filiform antennae, and six 

 short scaly feet ; " there seems, however, to be some confusion with 

 regard to the life history of the insect, which requires further clearing up. 



Xi. vesicatoria, L. Elongate, parallel-sided, shining, of a bright 

 golden-green colour, sometimes with bluish or coppery reflections, under- 

 side more or less coppery, and more smooth and shining than the upper 

 side ; head broad, wider behind, with a strong central furrow, diffusely 

 punctured ; antennae dark, metallic-green at base, longer in male than in 

 female ; thorax transverse, about as broad in front as head, gradually 

 narrowed in a straight line to base, punctured much as head, anterior 

 angles marked and somewhat raised; elytra parallel, bluntly rounded at 

 apex, finely and closely rugose, -with two rather feeble but distinct 

 raised lines on disc of each ; legs long, metallic. L. 12-20 mm. 



Male with the antennae longer than half the body, with joints 3-10 

 linear ; the anterior tibiae armed with one broad spine, and the first 

 joint of the anterior tarsi strongly emarginate internally ; the last seg- 

 ment of abdomen is also deeply incised. 



Female with the antennae shorter than half the body, with joints 

 3-10 oblong, and the anterior tibia; armed at apex with two spines; 

 the last segment of the abdomen is entire or very slightly emarginate. 



On privet, ash, &c. ; rare in Britain ; Colchester, near which town it has been 

 taken in some numbers by Mr. Grapes and others ; Cambridge (Crotch) ; Hampshire 

 (MoncriefF) ; Stephens records it from " Cheltenham, Bottisham (near Cambridge), 

 Hitcham, and near London." 



RHYNCHOPHORA. 



The Rhynchophora form a series which is apparently isolated from 

 the rest of the Coleoptera ; it must, however, be admitted that it is 

 hard to separate them on any single character, and some few genera 

 bear a superficial resemblance to members of the ordinary groups of the 

 order ; thus, for instance, the Rhinomaceridae, by the presence of a 

 labruni and normal flexible palpi as well as by the 11 -jointed and non- 



