— 7 — 



notizie che possediamo si devono a AVood-Mason e si 

 riferiscono a Amorphoscelis annuUcornis Stài. Egli scrive : 

 « This species abounds in Calcutta on the trunks of trees to 

 the bark of which it is so perfectly adapted in colour that it 

 is only to be detected with the greatest difficulty, and then 

 only after it has been startled into activity by a sharp blow 

 administered to the tree trunk on which it may be resting. 

 Its gait resembles that of many cockroaches, or better of 

 Machilis maritima, or the Rock-slaters. Its rapid darting 

 movements render it very difficult of captare in perfect 

 condition, the legs and the thin ovai piate which termi- 

 nates the caudal appendages, being particulary fragile. 



« It is possible that the form of the caudal appendages 

 may be correlated with the curious habit the animai has 

 when alarmed of wawing or wagging its abdomen from 

 side to side as if for the purpose of beating off foes, which 

 may be the ichneumonilies, the ants, or, as has been sug- 

 gested to me by Mr. de Nicéville, the protectively-coloured 

 spiders that frequent the same trees >. 



Synopsis generum. 



1, Pronotuni breoius, latius quarti longius^ vel palilo lon- 

 gius quam latius. 

 2. Femora antica spinis discoìdalibus 2-3 armata. La- 

 mina supraanalis $ $ magna, triangularis, elongata, 

 tectiformiter carinata. Tibiae anticae apicem versus 

 incrassatae, subclavatae^ intus margine infero ad api- 

 cem minutissime pectinato, spinuloso . Paraoxypili. 

 3. Coxae anticae in utroque sexu {in $ fortius) spinu- 

 losae. Foemiìiae apterae. 

 4. Margo anticus acetabulorum anticorum muticus. 

 Pronotum angulis lateralibus antrorsum pro- 

 ductis, acutis, disco sellaeformiter depresso, ca- 



