216 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



There is also an aberration described as var. intertexta by Weise*^, 

 from Russia, in which some of the spots are confluent. It has not 

 been found in Britain. 



C. distincta comes nearest to, and is superficially very like, ' the 

 'common 7-spot Lady-Bird, C. septem punctata, L., from which it differs, 

 however, in many important particulars. The anterior angles of the 

 thorax are more rounded and do not project so much in front ; the 

 elytra are longer in proportion and not so pointed behind, and their 

 side margins are not so apparent, especially just below the shoulders, 

 where, when viewed from above, they are almost invisible. The spots 

 on the elytra are usually much larger. The epimera of the meso- 

 sternum and the apex of the episterna of the metasternum are white, 

 whereas in 7-piinctata only the former are white. In this last 

 character, however, distincta varies considerably. I took a specimen* 

 at Weybridge, on July 28th, 1919, in which the underside 

 is entirely black. 



Dr. Sharp has kindly dissected the male genitalia of the two species 

 for me, and he has found that they differ very greatly in this respect ; 

 those of C. distincta being very highly specialised. He considers that 

 the enormous size of the stop-piece at the base of the median lobe, and 

 the spatulate process from the distal margin of the tegmen, are very 

 striking characters. 



Rosenhauer^s, in 1882, described the larva and pupa of distincta, 

 and compared them with those of septeuipunctata. As I have never, as 

 far as I can remember, seen the larva and pupa of the latter, I give 

 the differences as stated by Rosenhauer. The larva of distincta is 

 somewhat more robust, and the red-yellow colour is more in evidence. 

 The head is more broadly light behind, and the prothorax at the sides. 

 The two other thoracic segments, as well as the sides of the first 

 abdominal segment are marked with a large light spot ; other larvae 

 are entirely light, reaching to the tubercles. The larva of l-punctata 

 becomes a pitchy-grey before pupation, that of distincta a grey-yellow. 



The pupa of l-punctata has mostly a predominant black coloration, 

 and the elytra are half black ; still this varies so that the wings 

 towards the inner side and apex are black, the shoulder spot free, or 

 with the colour smeared, or the elytra quite red, with three small spots 

 showing, but the shoulder spot is always distinct. 



The pupa of distincta is always, of a red colour with black spots, 

 and very seldom is there a slight indication of a shoulder spot to be 

 seen, the middle spot being always of a considerable size. 



Habitat. — Coccinclla distincta is very widely distributed in Europe, 

 and occurs m Central Russia and the Caucasus. 



The British Distribution is as follows : — 



Hants., S. : Brockenhurst [Walker) ; Hants., N. Pamber Forest 

 {^Donistlwrpe)'-^'' . 



* This specimen is very curious ;-the head is all black, the thorax nearly so, 

 and the antennse, although they consist of the normal number of joints, are so 

 short that they cannot be seen from above, when extended. Moreover, it possesses 

 a sharp chitinous spine, 1mm. in length, springing from the margin of the left 

 elytron, at the shoulder. 



