268 MR. R. SHELFORD OX MIMETIC INSECTS AND [NoV. 4, 



and the Hispid Gonophora wallacei are much alike in their 

 general appearance ; and so too are the Lycids Cautires excellens 

 and Metriorrhynchus acutangulus, the Elaters Agonischius pecto- 

 ralis and A. (?) sanguiiteipennis, the Longicorns Xyaste fumosa 

 and X. invida, and a Reduviid bug. 



The association of these species in one convergent group is 

 represented in a diagrammatic way in Table V. (p. 269) : the species 

 other than Lycidse which I consider to be distasteful are indicated 

 by an asterisk, but it is not improbable that others may hereafter 

 be proved to be Miillerian rather than Batesian mimics. 



[The prevalent types of Lycid coloration are very simple, 

 being uniform red or ochreous or one of these colours combined 

 with black. The same patterns have an immense range corre- 

 sponding with the wide distribution of the family over the 

 warmer parts of the world. Hence this beautiful group of 

 Bornean insects of many orders which adopt a colouring charac- 

 tei-istic of the Lycidse could no doubt be paralleled in many 

 countries. Examples of Lycoid American moths belonging to 

 distasteful gi-oups are given in Journ. Linn. Soc. (Zool.) vol. xxvi. 

 p. 569. Mr. G. A. K. Marshall has sent me a wonderful group 

 belonging to this type, the ground-colour being ochreous, from 

 Salisbviry, Rhodesia. The central type is provided by seven 

 species of Lycidae, and it is resembled by a Telephorid, a 

 Melyrid, two Phytophaga, three Cantharidae, three Longicorns, 

 many species of Hymenoptera Aciileata, several Hemiptei'a, a fly 

 (Xiphocerus), a Zygaenid moth, and an Arctiid Moth. This group 

 is briefly mentioned in the Report of the British Association 

 (Section'D), Bradford Meeting, 1900, p. 793.— E. B. P.] 



A second gi-oup may be formed out of Coccinellid-like insects. 

 All the well-known Coccinellidas with red or yellow elytra spotted 

 with black are the central figures of the group, with perhaps an 

 excessively common Oassid, Prioptera octopunctata ; mimicking 

 these are a Longicorn, Entelojyes glauca (Pasc), two species of 

 Lema and a C-wculio, the remarkable new Locustid of a genus 

 near Gammarotettix, a Pentatomid bug of the subfam. Asopince, 

 Bvachia ducalis (Wlk.), and a spider with large red abdomen 

 spotted with black. The association is indicated diagrammati- 

 cally in Table YI. (p. 270) ; the mimics of Coccinellidae, which 

 are believed to be Miillerian, are indicated by asterisks. Nearly 

 the whole of the species here mentioned are figured on Plate 

 XXIII. figs. 30 to 36. The Zema figured [L. quadripunctata) is 

 a less perfect mimic than L. femorata. 



The little Dammar-bee Alelijjona vidua (Lep.), black with white- 

 tipped wings, is an extremely common insect in Borneo, and, though 

 stingless, is protected by its ferocious biting and social habits \ 



1 A certain tree in the junglo near the Sarawak Museum was known to harbour a 

 nest of this species ; when the bees swarmed it was impossible to approach the 

 tree without attracting a large number which settled on one's hair and face and bit 

 so fiercely that a hasty retreat had to be made. A tame monkey, secured by a 

 chain and sliding ring to a bamboo pole which contained a nest of another species of 

 Mellpona, refused after two attempts to scale the pole when the bees wore swarming 

 round the mouth of the nest. 



