122 Miscellaneous. 



divided into a very great number of narrow transverse ridges by 

 very fine grooves of a pale yellovs^ colour. Down tho mid-dorsal 

 line runs a narrow dark strijje with a very fine white, or almost 

 white, line running down the middle of it as in P. Leucl-artn. 



The general ground-colour is dark indigo-blue, often almost 

 black, and this is checkered by more or less regularly arranged 

 patches of pale dull orange or yellow. The typical arrangement 

 of these patches appears to be as follows: — There is a squarish 

 patch just over the base of each leg, more distinct than any of 

 the others. Between the legs of each pair, in the mid-dorsal line, 

 is a similar patch, interrupted by the median longitudinal stripe 

 already mentioned, and separated from the patch over the leg on 

 either side by a space of about the same width as itself. Thus 

 there is a transverse row of three patches between the legs of each 

 pair, and with these rows alternate other rows of only two patches 

 each, in such a manner that a kind of chessboard pattern is pro- 

 duced. Besides these patches there are on each side of the mid- 

 dorsal line several longitudinal rows (the typical number appears to 

 be four on each side) of more or less regularly arranged dull orange 

 or yellow papillae. Sometimes the chessboard pattern is almost 

 obliterated, leaving the longitudinal rows of papillae scattered over 

 a nearly uniform dark background. The dorsal surface of the legs 

 is dark indigo-blue, with two or three orange or yellow papillae. 



(6) Ventral Surface. — The ground-colour is pale yellowish. 

 Over this are scattered a number of papillae, mostly of an indigo- 

 blue colour, but some dull orange ; the papillae are arranged in 

 transverse rows, one row on each ridge of skin. The blue papillae 

 are most numerous along an imaginary line joining the bases of 

 the legs of each side. In the mid-ventral line, between the legs of 

 each pair except the last, is an unusually pale area of skin, devoid 

 of papillae, and sometimes presenting clear indications of a longi- 

 tudinal slit-like aperture in its centre. I have described similar 

 pale areas in P. Lenckartii, and cannot help thinking that they 

 must have some important morphological significance, I hope to 

 find out later on, when working out the anatomy, what this signi- 

 cance may be. 



(c) TJie Antcnnce. — These are of a dark indigo-blue colour. 



I have attempted above to describe the characteristic pattern of 

 the skin as deduced from five specimens, but it must be remembered 

 that considerable individual variations are sure to occur, though 

 probably, as in P. Leuckartii, all the variations will be found to be 

 readily derivable from a typical pattern. This typical pattern is 

 quite different in the two Australian species, as will be seen on 

 comparing my descriptions of P. Leucl-artn (loc. cit.). 



Size. — The five specimens at present to hand are all very small, 

 the largest being only about eleven millimetres in length (excluding 

 the antennae), and one millimetre in greatest breadth, after pre- 

 servation in spirits. 



Legs. — These are fourteen in number on each side of the body. 

 They have three spinous pads on the ventral surface, as described 



