Odonatafrom New Caledonia. 65 



straight at the end ; and development of tlie vulvar lamina 

 into a large spoon-shaped structure. It diflers chiefly in 

 having the postanal cell divided, the discoidal area in the 

 hind wing beginning with two rows of cells, and the hind 

 wings relatively narrower and conspicuously shorter than the 

 abdomen. In some of these particulars M. elongnta agrees 

 Avith its nearer geographical neighbour, M. tiUyardi, such as 

 the division of the postanal cell in the fore wing and the 

 doubling of the discoidal cells in the hind wing. In the 

 circumstances, it seems to be advisable to refer this inter- 

 esting species to the genus Metaphya, the range of which is 

 thus greatly extended in an easterly direction. 



The following comparison will show that Metaphya 

 elongata differs from both its congeners in having the 

 abdomen longer than the hind wing : — 



Metaphya micans, $ . tiUynrdi, J . elongata, $ . 

 Abdomen 20 mm. 27 mm. 33 mm. 



Hind wing 23 mm. 31 mm. 28 mm. 



It also differs from both of them in respect that the 

 gonapophyses of segment 8 do not project beyond the apex 

 of segment 10. It is possible, howevei', that this structure 

 has become displaced in our specimen. Another difference 

 between M. elongata and M. micans^ at all events, is to be 

 found in the apical plates of the gonapophyses, which are 

 separate in the genotype, but fused together in the species 

 from New Caledonia. 



? . — Length of abdomen 33 mm. ; hind wing 28 mm. 



Labium smoky brown. Labrum, clypeus, and frons 

 metallic blue-black. Antennae black. Median eye-line 

 long. Occipital triangle small, metallic blue-black. 



Prothorax pale brown. Meso-metathorax unicolorous 

 dark metallic green, except for a large brownish area in the 

 angle formed by the anterior margin and the humeral suture. 



Wings (PI. IX. fig. 17) hyaline, with basal saffron suffu- 

 sion^ reaching to the triangle in the fore wing and to the 

 second antenodal in the hind wing, where it does not extend 

 posteriorly much below the anal vein. Venation black. 

 Pterostigma 2 mm. long^ dark brown. Membranule of hind 

 wing smoky white. Antenodals ^. Postnodals —,• 

 Arculus in both wings nearer the second antenodal than the 

 first. Base of hind-wing triangle slightly proximal to the 

 arculus ; the anterior cross-vein joining distally, not M4, but 

 the posterior cross-vein. Anal loop containing 12 or 13 cells. 



Ann. (jt Mag. jS'. Hist. Ser. y. V^ol. viii. 5 



