Vol. XXX 1 ENTOMOLOGICAI, NEWS 1 83 



Eupteryx melissae Curtis. 



Bupteryx melissae Curtis, John. British Entomology being Illustra- 

 tions and Descriptions of the Genera of Insects found in Great Britain 

 and Ireland, Vol. 14, No. 640 [p. 2], April, 1837 [Niton]. 



A group of nominal European species which are very close- 

 ly related includes urticae Fabricius, melissae Curtis, stachy- 

 dcarum Hardy and collina Flor. Characters adequate for dis- 

 tinguishing these species have not as yet been pointed out. Of 

 the four names urticae is the oldest (Fabricius, 1803), and in 

 case all are synonymous, has priority. However, urticae by 

 one character — half of hind tibiae being black — is contrasted 

 with the other three, and may be varietally if not specifically 

 distinct. The next oldest name — melissae Curtis — is, there- 

 fore, here adopted. Its synonymy appears to include: 



Typhlocyha stachydearum Hardy, James. Descriptions of some new 

 British Homopterous Insects. Transactions of the Tyneside Natural- 

 ists' Field Club, i, 1846-50 (1850), pp. 422-3 [Axwell Park]. 



Typhlocyha collina Flor, Gustav. Die Rhynchoten Livlands in sy- 

 stematischer Folge beschrieben. 2, 1861, pp. 433-5 [Kudling, Sege- 

 wold, Kremonl. 



Eupteryx quinquemaculata, Baker, C. F. New Typhlocybini. In- 

 vertebrata Pacifica, Vol. i, p. 8, Sept. 15, 1903 [Stanford University, 

 California]. 



Head evenly and fully rounded both laterally and vertically. Length 

 of vertex: interocular width:: 6:10. General color of upper surface 

 of body and of the legs pale yellow ; of forewings delicate green 

 fading toward apex ; eyes yellowish green. Head with 2 smaller spots 

 on front, 2 larger on transition from front to vertex, and one of about 

 same size on middle of hind margin, black. All of these spots vary 

 from round to V-shaped or quadrangular ; hence do not have the im- 

 portance in distinguishing species assigned to them by European auth- 

 ors. Pronotum with two black spots, just behind median spot on ver- 

 tex, and one lying just behind and to 'the side of each of these. Most 

 of disc of pronotum covered by a greenish fuscous cloud, nearly 

 touching the black spots. A dimly visible brown line connects the 

 black spots, and, being a little more conspicuous at the ends, forms a 

 curved brown dash, to the outer side of each of the posterior pair of 

 dots. Scutellum with two pairs of black dots, the anterior larger and 

 more separated. 



Forewings with irregular greenish fuscous markings, the color deep- 

 est at periphery (like blots the center of which has been sucked up), 

 as follows : One larger and a few smaller on inner anterior angle of 



