80 STRATIOMTIDiE. 



15-25. v. 1914 {Fletcher) ; Coonoor, Nilgiri Hills, S. India, vi. 1912 

 [Copt. Sewell) ; Peradeniya, Ceylon, 26.vii. 1910; Margherita, 

 Sadiya, Assam ; Tura, Garo Hills, Assam, 1917 {Kemp). 



51. Ptecticus cingulatus, Lw., var. ceylonicus, nov. 



Ptecticus cingulatus, Loew, Yerli. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien, v, p. 143 

 (1855). 



Allied to P. aurifer, Walk., except in the wings aud genitalia. 

 3 2 . Head : frons shining black, with black pubescence, from 

 vertex to point of nearest approach of eyes where they are almost 

 actually contiguous ; frontal triangle lemon-yellow or orange- 

 yellow ; rest of head as in aurifer. Thorax as in aurifer ; traces 

 of three faint longitudinal dorsal stripes in some specimens. 

 Abdomen orange, with a transverse oval black spot on each segment 

 from the 2nd to the 5th, placed just behind fore border and quite 

 clear of side and hind margins ; the spots larger in the § , prac- 

 tically placed on anterior margins, also reaching side-margins on 

 2nd segment. Genitalia quite differently constructed from those 

 of aurifer and wulpii • much narrower, composed of a pair of two- 

 jointed claspers and a large curved dorsal plate ending in a narrow 

 style aud two lamellae ; the organs placed sideways ; genitalia in $ 

 small, concealed. Legs orange, a brownish streak on outer side 

 of hind femora which curves round to the upper side towards tip, 

 where it dies away ; it is not at all conspicuous and is easily over- 

 looked, yet it seems one of the principal characters of the species ; 

 hind tibiae and hind metatarsi black ; 2nd and 3rd joints of latter 

 whitish, remaining joints blackish ; anterior legs all orange, except 

 the tips of the tarsi, which are a little browner. Wings uniformly 

 pale yellowish grey ; 3rd veinlet from discal cell more strongly 

 bisinuate than in aurifer. 

 Length, 14-18 mm. 



Described from 6 d d audi $! in the Indian Museum fromKandy, 

 v-vii. 1910 ; Santi Koppa, N. Coorg, S. India, 4-9. v. 1914. 



From the peculiar white 2ud and 3rd hind tarsal joints and the 

 curved streak on the hind femora I am compelled to regard this 

 form as cingulatus, Loew, as these characters do not appear in 

 any other species. From his description, however, I originally 

 assumed the wing to be half yellow and half black, as in the 

 aurifer group ; but it may perhaps be understood to mean 

 yellowish brown at the base and in front, and the remainder 

 more of a smutty brownish colour, although this does not 

 properly agree with the wings in the above-described form. 

 I have seen four specimens in the Sarawak Museum collection 

 from Borneo that agree still more (apart from the same doubt 

 as regards the wings), with Loew's description, as the black 

 abdominal bands are of uniform width and actually reach the 

 side-margins in all oases. 



