1887.] E. T. Atkinson — Notes on hidian Rhynchota. 151 



Scutellera Hardwickii, Germar, Zeitschr. i (i) p. 135 (1839). 



PcBcilochroma Hardivickii, Stal, En. Hem. iii, p. 12 (1873) ; Distant, A. M. N. H. 

 (5 s.), iii, p. 44 (1879). 



PcBcilocoris HardwicJcii, Dallas, Trans. E. S. v, p. 107, t. 13, f. 8 (1848) : List 

 Hem. i, p. 13, (1851) ; Walker, Cat. Het. i. p. 8 (1867). 



(?, ? . Ovate, convex, above yellowish orange or red, opaque, rather 

 finely and thickly punctured, head black, thickly and strongly punc- 

 tured ; eyes and ocelli brownish : pronotum with the anterior portion 

 and two large spots on the disc, black : scutellum slightly wrinkled 

 transversely at the base ; normally, with eleven black spots, placed, 

 three at the base of which the median one is large and elongated- tri- 

 angular, a small round one on each side of the apex of this, a transverse 

 row of four across the disc, behind the middle, the two intermediate of 

 which are the largest and the two smaller towards the apex ; these 

 spots ar0 generally more or less confluent or partially obsolete, forming 

 several varieties : margins of the hemelytra black piceous : abdomen 

 beneath orange-red, very faintly wrinkled, the basal segment entirely, 

 the second (except the middle), the third and fourth on the lateral 

 margins, the terminal segment, except its lateral margins, (and in the 

 (^ , the base) and the anal apparatus, violet-black ; the penultimate 

 segment is entirely red : pectus black, tinted with violet, finely punc- 

 tured ; the lateral angles of the prostethium and part of the antero- 

 lateral margins, red : legs violet-black : antennae and rostrum black. 

 Dallas remarks that in P. nepalensisy Herr. Schaff., the spots have be- 

 come confluent so that the general colour of the upper surface is black ; 

 the pronotum is nearly covered by the two spots on the disc which ex- 

 tend forwards to the black anterior margin and posteriorly to the 

 hinder margin ; the five spots at the base of the scutellum are united, 

 forming a large waved band across the base, from the middle of which 

 the apex of the triangular basal spot projects, while the two interme- 

 diate spots of the transverse row are joined to one another and to the 

 two subapical ones, forming a large, rounded lobate patch. In 

 P. affiniSi Westwood, the two subbasal and the two subapical spots are 

 wanting and the two spots on the disc are sometimes obsolete. There 

 are numerous varieties between these, but all are distinguishable by the 

 uniform red colour of the fifth abdominal segment (Dallas). Body 

 long, 17-20 mill, a very variable species : in some the spots are large 

 and confluent so as to make the general appearance of the upper surface 

 of the scutellum black, and in others red is the prevailing colour. P. 

 nepalensisj Herr. Schaff., if not specifically different, forms a well mark- 

 ed variety. Obovate, moderately convex ; black, shining, finely and 

 closely punctured, on the antennae, feet and the underside, bright shin- 



