.122 , ME. W. F. KIRBT ON THE 



Genus EoEMicoEis. 



' Head extending for about half its length in front of the ej'^es, 

 an a broad truncated cone ; eyes very prominent, ocelli very 

 femall, placed on the vertex nearly opposite the hind border of the 

 eyes; head with the postocular part narrowed obliquely, and 

 then forming a short and very distinct neck ; antennae nearly as 

 long as the body, slender, situated on the sides of the upper part 

 of the head, halfway between the eyes and the extremity, slender ; 

 the scape about as long as the breadth of the head ; third joint 

 twice as long as the scape, second slightly longer than the third, 

 fourth slightly curved and nearly as long as the second and 

 third together. Eostrum stout, extending as far as the hind 

 coxae. Thorax spinose, rounded in front. Legs long and slender, 

 unarmed ; tarsi S-jointed ; claws bifid. Tegmina rudimentary. 

 Abdomen subglobose, pointed at each end, much wider than the 

 head or thorax, with the lateral edges raised and extremely 

 prominent, 



I cannot fix the exact affinities of this remarkable insect ; but 

 I place it provisionally near Myocoris, which it resembles in the 

 form of the head. It is undoubtedly one of the JReduviidcB, and 

 is of extreme interest on account of its extraordinary resemblance 

 'to the black spiny arboreal ants of the genus Soplomyrmus, Gerst. 

 {PolyrhacJiis, Smith), so common in the East Indies. F inflatus, 

 or a closely-allied species, seems to be common in all parts of 

 India, as well as in Ceylon {cf. Proc. Eat, Soc, Lond., July 1891), 



FoEMicoETS INPLATUS, sp. u. (Plate IV. figs. 17, 17«.) 



Long. Corp. 7 lin. 



Dull black, coriaceous, very finely pubescent ; tegmina abbre- 

 viated, not extending beyond the contracted base of the abdomen, 

 longitudinally ridged, and with very large punctures between, 

 the outer tips whitish. Thorax with a strong spine ou each side 

 at the base of the tegmina, and a third rising betw^een tliem at 

 the tip of the scutellum. Tarsi whitish, the last joint on the four 

 hind legs darker. Abdomen smooth- shining, slightly iridescent, 

 sericeous (red in an immature specimen). The last joint of the 

 antennae testaceous. 



Nitagala, 



Zelus aematisstmus. 



Polididus arinatissimus, Stal, CEfv.Vet.-Akad. Fork. xvi. p. 376 (ISCO). 



Described from Ceylon, 



