THE SUBFAMILY LIBELLULINJE. 323 



postnodals and occasionally the last antenodal not continuous, triangle followed by 

 three cells, traversed by one or two nervures, a supratriangular nervure generally 

 present, two or three cross nervures in the lower basal cell : anal appendages as long 

 as the ninth segment, a little curved upwards at the tips, and pointed, the lower one 

 nearly as long as the lateral ones ; those of the second segment not conspicuous. 



Female. — More yellow, with the black spots on the abdomen more distinct. Wings 

 hyaline, slightly tinged with yellow along the costa as far as the nodus, and more 

 distinctly towards the anal angle ; neuration nearly as in the male. 



Hab. Borneo. 



Allied to Lilellula fluctuans, Fabr., also a very common insect in Borneo; but in all 

 the specimens of L. stigmatizans and L. fluctuans before me there is a double row of 

 cells between the nodal and subnodal sectors for almost their entire length, or even 

 three or four in some of the closely allied forms which authors class under these 

 species. As the neuration appears to be fairly constant in a good series of both sexes of 

 N. disparilis, I regard it as a perfectly good species, notwithstanding the peculiar 

 difficulties of variation and dimorphism alleged to exist in the genus Neurothemis. It 

 is also allied to N. degener, Selys, from India, which differs in having only three cells 

 in the subtriangular space. 



Neurothemis affinis. (Plate LIV. fig. 2.) 



Long. corp. 41 millim. ; exp. al. 60 millim. ; long. pter. 5^ millim. 



Male. — Inky black, only the frontal ocellus, the mandibles, and the anal appendages 

 yellowish. Abdomen much longer and more slender in proportion than in N. tullia, 

 Drury. Wings dark violet-brown from the base to two fifths of the distance between the 

 nodus and the pterostigma, the remainder clear hyaline ; fore wings with the costa very 

 narrowly edged below with hyaline from the base nearly to the nodus, and the subcostal 

 nervure similarly edged below from the base to half the distance to the level of the 

 nodus ; most of the cells with paler centres ; the upper basal cell also subhyaline ; 

 pterostigma very long and rather broad, 12-13 antenodal and 10 postnodal nervures, 

 the last antenodal and first two or three postnodals not continuous ; triangle moderate, 

 traversed by a nervure, and followed by three cells. Subtriangular space consisting of 

 four cells. The hind wings appear darker than the fore wings, owing to their cells not 

 being centred with paler. 



Hab. Barang. 



Very close to N. tullia, but can hardly be a variety. The latter species is very 

 constant, only varying a little in size and depth of colour. The description of N. decora, 

 Brauer from Amboina, somewhat resembles this, but has a milk-white band between the 

 dark space and the pterostigma, and 18-20 antenodal and 11-13 postnodal nervures, 

 besides other differences. Brauer now refers his N. decora to palliata, Ramb., itself 

 hardly distinct from N. fluctuans, Fabr. 



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