﻿hetiveen 
  species 
  of 
  Lenia 
  and 
  Diahrotica, 
  371 
  

  

  may 
  have 
  something 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  it. 
  But 
  if, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  

   been 
  led 
  to 
  suspect, 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Diahrotica 
  are 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  by 
  some 
  nauseous 
  property, 
  this 
  in 
  itself 
  would 
  

   be 
  a 
  sufficient 
  explanation. 
  I 
  have, 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  

   weeks, 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  some 
  evidence 
  tending 
  to 
  show 
  

   that 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Diahrotica 
  are 
  so 
  protected. 
  

  

  Lacordaire, 
  in 
  his 
  * 
  Memoire 
  sur 
  les 
  habitudes 
  des 
  

   Insectes 
  coleopteres 
  de 
  I'Amerique 
  meridionale 
  '* 
  states, 
  

   when 
  writing 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Galeruca, 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  large 
  

   species, 
  G. 
  cyanipennis, 
  Fab., 
  xanthodera, 
  lycoides, 
  Dej., 
  

   &c., 
  simulate 
  death 
  when 
  captured, 
  and 
  secrete 
  an 
  

   abundant 
  yellow 
  fluid 
  through 
  their 
  mouth 
  and 
  the 
  joints 
  

   of 
  their 
  legs. 
  In 
  another, 
  G. 
  viridis, 
  Dej., 
  this 
  liquid 
  is 
  

   colourless, 
  and 
  sufficient 
  in 
  quantity 
  to 
  entirely 
  cover 
  

   the 
  insect. 
  The 
  small 
  species 
  have 
  not 
  this 
  faculty."! 
  

   I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  identify 
  G. 
  cyanipennis, 
  Fab., 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  Gemminger's 
  catalogue 
  as 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  

   Diahrotica. 
  The 
  G. 
  viridis 
  of 
  Dejean 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  

   by 
  von 
  Harold 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Diahrotica 
  marginata. 
  

   Neither 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  mimicked 
  species 
  which 
  

   I 
  have 
  appended. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  safe, 
  I 
  think, 
  to 
  assume 
  

   that 
  Lacordaire's 
  observations 
  apply 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  

   species 
  of 
  Diahrotica. 
  The 
  secretion 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  fluid 
  of 
  

   this 
  kind 
  is 
  usually 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  protection 
  to 
  the 
  insect 
  

   which 
  secretes 
  it. 
  It 
  might 
  be 
  argued 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  

   of 
  Lema 
  are, 
  perhaps, 
  similarly 
  protected. 
  At 
  present 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  this. 
  Lacordaire 
  has 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  noted 
  the 
  different 
  genera 
  whose 
  species 
  secrete 
  a 
  

   nauseous 
  fluid, 
  but 
  in 
  referring 
  to 
  Lema 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  

   mention 
  this 
  property. 
  In 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  point, 
  three 
  

   species 
  of 
  Lema 
  from 
  Borneo 
  are 
  very 
  suggestive. 
  These, 
  

   at 
  first 
  sight, 
  look 
  very 
  unlike 
  Lemas, 
  and 
  might 
  easily 
  

   be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  Hispidce. 
  In 
  Lema 
  monstrosa, 
  Baly, 
  the 
  

   resemblance 
  is 
  greatest. 
  The 
  rough 
  elytra 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  are 
  furnished 
  with 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  highly-raised 
  

   and 
  sharply-pointed 
  conical 
  tubercles. 
  In 
  its 
  red- 
  

   coloured 
  thorax 
  and 
  black 
  elytra 
  it 
  agrees 
  with 
  a 
  species 
  

   of 
  Hispa 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  island. 
  You 
  have 
  only 
  to 
  

   imagine 
  the 
  very 
  fine 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  Hispa's 
  spines 
  to 
  be 
  

   broken 
  off 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  armour 
  met 
  

   with 
  in 
  the 
  Lema. 
  The 
  remaining 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Lema 
  

   mimic 
  the 
  Hispa 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way, 
  but 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  degree. 
  

  

  * 
  ' 
  Annales 
  des 
  Sciences 
  Naturelles,' 
  vols. 
  sx. 
  and 
  xxi. 
  

   f 
  L.C., 
  xxi., 
  p. 
  189. 
  

   TRANS. 
  ENT. 
  SOC. 
  LOND. 
  1891. 
  PART 
  II. 
  (jUNE.) 
  2 
  C 
  

  

  