286 Mr. W. F. Kirby on a 



according to Stal ; but iV. ^ri'.fea was describe J from the East 

 liulies, and the legs are not said to be mottled. 



Perisphaeriidse. 



This family seems to be pre-eminently an African group, 

 but it is at present very imperfectly known. The females of 

 many species are apterous, and there are many genera of 

 which only males or females respectively are at present 

 known, and comparatively few species belonging to genera 

 which are apterous, at least in the females, are satisfactorily 

 known in both sexes. 



Eustegasta pcecila. 



Pa7>chlo7-a j)a'ci/a,Schaum, Ber. AkaJ. Berlin, 1853, p. 777 ; Peters's 

 Reise nach Mossambique, Zool. v. p. 109, pi. vii. fig. 2 (18G2) ; 

 Brunn. Syst. Blatt. p. 281 (18G5). 



A very pretty species and extremely variable. A descrip- 

 tion of Mr. Distant's specimens is given below. Tiie variations 

 are combined in so many different ways that I cannot venture 

 to regard them as representing more than one species. 



Schaum's figure is greatly enlarged and badly coloured, 

 which rendered it no easy matter to identify the species. 



Long. corp. cum tegra. 14-15 millim. 



Head rufo-testaceous, generally with a black transverse 

 band in front just below the antennae, or this forms the upper 

 part of a longitudinal band tilling the whole centre of the face, 

 or the band may be broken in two or reduced to a narrow 

 perpendicular stripe, or the occiput may be black, or the 

 whole head may be black except a reddish transverse band 

 above the antennae, or red with no black markings. Au- 

 tenna? black, with a broad reddish band before the extremity. 

 Pronotum black, shining, broadly bordered on the sides with 

 rufo-testaceous and more narrowly before and behind; the 

 hind border is sometimes interrupted in the middle. Abdomen 

 rufo-testaceous, sometimes with a broad longitudinal black 

 central band. Tegmina dark metallic green, more or less 

 varied with chestnut-red ; the costa is usually edged with 

 this colour nearly to the extremity and marked with a trian- 

 gular spot beyond the middle. Below the costal area is a 

 chestnut-red line, expanding into a broad blotch at about two 

 thirds of the wing ; sometimes the whole costal area is of this 

 colour except a short basal streak, and coalesces with this 

 blotch ; and in some specimens the inner margin of the basal 

 area is of the same colour ; and there may be a similarly 



