740 MR. E. A. ELLIOTT ON THE 



29. DUCALis Westw. 



Megischus ducalis Westw. (4), p. 239, 5 . Stephanus ducalis 

 Schlett., p. 112, $ . Stephanus lucidus Szepl., p. 532, S ■ 



5 . Frons coarsely transrugose ; A^ertex coarsely arcuate 

 rugose ; occiput centrally distinctly impressed, arcuate rugose in 

 front, becoming transverse towards posterior margin of head, 

 which is shai-ply bordered ; cheeks shorter than scape ; flagellar 

 joints normal. Neck coai"sely transrugose, semiannular less 

 coarsely, with shining smooth posterior margin. Mesonotum 

 centrally smooth, diffusely punctate in front, with a rather 

 indistinct central longitudinal row of punctures and two shallow 

 lateral impressions, laterally and posteriorly coai^sely rugose- 

 punctate. Mesopleurse smooth above, rugose-punctate beneath ; 

 metapleurse coarsely rugose-punctate, separated by a deep trans- 

 rugose sulcus from the cribrate punctate median segment. 

 Petiole basally irregularly, apically finely and transversely 

 rugose, shorter than rest of abdomen ; 2nd segment basally 

 coarsely rugose, its apex and the last segment shining, remaining 

 segments dull. Terebra longer than body, sheaths black, white- 

 banded before the apex. Legs sparsely pubescent ; hind legs 

 with coxse coarsely transrugose, femora smooth and shining in 

 front, finely punctate behind, bidentate ; tibiae longer than 

 femora, compressed not quite to middle ; tarsi three- jointed. 



Black; head, scape, and base of mandibles ferruginous. Wings 

 infuseate, centrally darker. 



Length 20-36 mm. ; terebra 25-41 mm. 



Westwood's type is in the British Museum. 



cJ . Differs from the $ chiefly in the occiput being more 

 obliquely rugose, petiole only basally rugose, 2nd segment basally 

 rugose as in $ , but remainder of abdomen smooth and shining ; 

 hind tarsi five-jointed ; anterior femora partly, their tibiae and all 

 the tarsi often dark red. 



Length 20-23 mm. Szepligetti's type (S. lucidus, J ) is in 

 the Hungarian ISTational Museum at Budapest. 



Habitat : widely distributed in the Indo- Australian Region ; 

 East India, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Pulu-Penang, Celebes, 

 Sumba, Key Island, Bachian, and New Guinea. 



Schulz (2), p. 19, mentions a very large $ , 36"5 mm., in 

 which the posterior angles of median segment, metapleurse, 

 petiole, and hind cox£e are all of a metallic steel-blue or violet — 

 colours not previously observed in this family. 



This species differs from /S. coronator Fab. chiefly in the head 

 being impi"essed behind the vertex ; the rugose semiannular, and 

 the coarse sculpture of mesonotum, mesopleurae, and median 

 segment further distinguish it. From S. hcematipoda Montrz. 

 it may be known by the impressed head, the arcuately rugose 

 vertex, less prominent posterior border of head, and by the 

 sculpture of the median segment. The absence of the sulcus on 

 vertex and the white-banded terebral sheaths will suffice to 

 separate this species from S. sideifrons Schlett. 



