R. Shelford, New Blattidae. 121 



Genus Homalosilpha Stäl. 

 Homalosilpha eruralis sp. n. (Plate II fig. 8c.) 



$. Head piceous , a rufous band between the ocelli, labrum 

 testaceous ; antennae rufous. Pronotum discoidal , sides not de- 

 flexed , greatest width behind the middle , anteriorly somewhat 

 truncate , posteriorly very obtusely angled ; testaceous , a curved 

 irregulär vitta on either side of the disc , two spots near the 

 centre of the disc , posterior angles castaneous. Tegmina pro- 

 jecting considerably beyond apex of abdomen , castaneous , the 

 marginal area and apex much paler. Whigs .flavo-hyaline. Ab- 

 domen above and beneath piceous, nitid, supra-anal lamina pro- 

 duced , deeply and triangularly notched at apex. Cerci long, 

 rufous. Legs with coxae and femora piceous , tibiae and tarsi 

 bright rufous ; front femora with a row of short spines on the 

 distal half of the anterior margin beneath , no spines on the 

 posterior margin beneath ; mid femora with 8 short spines on 

 the anterior margin, 4 long spines on the posterior margin beneath; 

 hind femora with 6 short spines on the anterior margin, 4 long 

 spines on the posterior margin beneath ; formula of apical spines 

 f, y, -g-, no genicular spines on front femora. 



Total length 26 mm ; length of body 21 mm; length of 

 tegmina 23 mm; pronotum 5,9 mm X 8,1 mm. 

 British Uganda (Graue r). 



The collection also contains a species of Homalosilpha from 

 the Cameroons which corresponds exactly with Brunner' s de- 

 scription of Periplaneia vicina (Nouv. Syst. Blatt, p. 236) ; the 

 loGality of the species was previously unknown. 



The genus Homalosilpha Stäl differs from Pseudoderopeltis Kr. 

 in both sexes being fully winged and in the absence of mem- 

 branous projections from the meso- and metanotum ; it differs 

 from Periplaneia Burm. .in the form of the pronotum which is 

 flat , the sides not being deflexed. Four species are known and 

 they may be discriminatecl with the help of the following key : 



1. Pronotum somewhat hexagonal in outline, ustulata Burm. 



its greatest width at the middle. (Sunda Islands 



andPhilippines.) 

 1 . Pronotum not as above, its greatest width 

 behind the middle. 



2. Anterior margin of pronotum parabolic. 



3. Pronotum piceous , with lateral yellow decorata Serv. 

 vittae. (Borneo.) 



