171 



BRITISH ODONATA IN 1911. 

 By W. J. Lucas, B.A., F.E.S. 



(Concluded from p. 144.) 



On August 10th Col. J. W. Yerbury sent me a few dragonfiies 

 from the North of Scotland. A male C. annulatus, Nethy Bridge, 

 August 6th ; two males, JEschna juncea, Nethy Bridge, August 

 6th and 7th ; one male L. quadriviaculata, Nethy Bridge, August 

 7th ; one male Si/mpetrum scoticum, Nethy Bridge, August 7th ; 

 one male S. scoticum, Spey Bridge, August 8th ; and three 

 females, Lestes sponsa, Aviemore, August 10th. For experiment, 

 the three L. sponsa were despatched while still alive in small 

 tubes. Unfortunately they had to be readdressed to me from 

 Kingston to the New Forest. Two arrived dead, but the third 

 was quite alive, notwithstanding the length of time on the 

 journey. 



On his return south the same entomologist gave me a most 

 interesting little collection of dragonfiies he had taken during his 

 summer visit to the North of Scotland. Amongst them was a 

 pair of insects belonging to the genus Sympetrum, which are 

 either new or else constitute a very distinct race of S. striolatum. 

 In 1900 {vide Entom. vol. xxxiii. p. 139) I called attention to and 

 figured details of a dragonfly, one of two females brought by Mr. 

 H. S. Fremlin from Stornoway in 1899. There was some doubt 

 about their identity, and Mr. McLachlan seemed to think the 

 specimens might be hybrids between S. striolatum and S. scoti- 

 cum. Though a very unsatisfactory conclusion, it was left at 

 this. Now Col. Yerbury has captured a pair at Lochinver 

 (June 24th and July 7th, 1911), in Ross, the very counterpart 

 of the two females from Stornoway. These I describe as Sym- 

 jjctrum nigrescens : — 



Description. — Vertex ochreous ; anterior to it a rather broad 

 black band, extending to some extent downwards along the side of 

 the eyes as in S. vulgatum. Rest of face ochreous, rhinarium and 

 neighbourhood being rather lighter ; hairs black. On the mesonotum 

 two distinct narrow longitudinal yellowish streaks. Ground colour 

 of sides of thorax nearly black, with two large bright yellow oblong 

 spots ; between these four small ones, and below them, three others, 

 all bright yellow; under surface of thorax very dark, with bright 

 yellowish markings. The thorax recalls very strongly that of 

 S. scoticuvi. Wing-nervures black ; pterostigma as in S. striolatum. 

 Fore legs black, with femur somewhat ochreous below ; mid and hind 

 legs black ; all legs with a fine ochreous line along the tibia. Abdo- 

 men blackish below ; ridges outlined in black ; two black dorsal dots 

 on several of the segments. In the female there are, in addition, 

 strong black lateral lines on the segments of the abdomen. Genitalia 

 much as in S. striolatum. In the male the internal hamular branch 

 perhaps a little more blunt and the external one a little sharper 



