COLLECTED IN DUTCH NEW GUINEA. 395 



(darkest on the front legs), with rather dense and conspicuous whitish pubescence. 

 Wings strongly infuscated ; a more or less distinct, outwardly oblique, transparent 

 fascia extending from the stigma across tlie apex of the discal cell ; the membrane 

 surrounding the lower branch of the fifth longitudinal vein is transparent, but the 

 greater part of the anal and axillary cells are infuscated. 



c? . Antennae coloured as in the female, except that there is no trace of white at 

 the tip ; the second, third, and fourth joints are much smaller, very little deeper than 

 long; the tenth (last) joint has a conspicuous kink at its base. The thorax is much 

 darker, the bands of scales being hardly noticeable. The pubescence of the abdomen 

 is yellow instead of white, and there is an interrupted transverse band of pubescence 

 on the third segment as well as on the fourth. 



Length of ? 10 mm., of d 8-9 mm. 



This species much resembles P. smaragdifera 'Walker { = smaragdina Sn. v. YolL), 

 but the latter differs in the following particulars: — In the female P. smaragdifera the 

 second, third, and fourth antennal joints are of quite a different shape, and there is 

 no trace of white at the tip of the antennse ; the scutellum is entirely covered with 

 scales; the third abdominal segment has a transverse band of pubescence, and the 

 fourth has a double instead of a simple emargination of its hind margin. The chief 

 noticeable differences between the males of P. smaragdifera and P. violacea is that the 

 former have no kink at the base of the last antennal joint. 



In the British Museum there are four species of the genus Ptilocera which in the 

 female sex are readily distinguishable as follows : — 



1. Last joint of anteniiie very largely white; anal and axillary cells 



mainly transparent. (Oriental llegion.) 2. 



Last joint of antennae entirely or almost entirely black; anal and 



axillary cells mainly infuscated. (Australasian Region.) ... 3. 



3. Thorax with a conspicuous golden-green patch on each side in front . quadridentata F. 



Thorax with four violet-green stripes continua Wlk. 



3. Antennal joints 2-4 twice as deep as long violacea, sp. n. 



Antennal joints 2-4 not much deeper than long ' . . smaragdifera Wlk. 



Walker's type of P. smaragdina is evidently conspecific with his P. continua, and 

 P. fastuosa Gerst. is also the same species ; so, I believe, is P. anietliystina Snell. 

 V. Voll. The specimens recorded by Walker from Celebes as P. smaragdina are 

 really P. smaragdifera. P. smaragdina Snell. v. Voll. is evidently identical with 

 P. smaragdifera Walker, but, the former name having been used previously by Walker, 

 cannot be applied to the Celebes form, even though the original P. smaragdina is 

 synonymous with P. continua. 



