140 



The Philippine Journal of Science 



1915 



Nymph. — The nearly full-grown nymph is a most extraordi- 

 nary object, reminding one strongly of certain membracid 

 nymphs. The pronotum possesses 3 fingerlike projections, the 

 middle one of which is much the largest. The mesonotum pos- 

 sesses one similar median projection. The abdominal segments 

 at sides are extended into huge acute projections as shown in 

 Plate I, fig. 7. The face of the nymph (Plate I, fig. 8) should be 

 compared with that of the adult. The antennae and vertex, espe- 

 cially, differ very strikingly from those of the adult. Plate I, 

 fig. 9, is a view of the head and thorax of the nymph from in 

 front, looking in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the body. 

 Luzon, Laguna, Mount Maquiling (coll. Baker) . 

 Living in extensive colonies on the young fruits of the guana- 

 bana {Anona muricata) . 



This species is very close to 

 Hilda jacobsoni Bierman, but 

 is distinct in form of frontal 

 umbo and other structural de- 

 tails, as well as in outlines of 

 nearly all parts of the color 

 pattern of tegmina. 



In 1870 Stal ' described the 

 new genus and species Augila 

 sulciceps, remarking, "Genus 

 singulare, maxime insigne, 

 optime, ut puto, prope Callis- 

 celem locandum." This re- 

 mained a monotypic genus until 1906, when Distant ^ added a 

 second species, A. binghami. In his monograph of the Issidse, 

 Melichar placed this genus in the Caliscelinse ("Caliscelidse"), 

 and it is the first species to be treated in the monograph. The 

 chief reason for so placing it must have been Stal's suggestion, 

 for, by Melichar's definition, Augila could not possibly be placed 

 in that subfamily. Melichar introduces a difficulty into the 

 study of the genus, in that his figure of the species, supposedly 

 made from the type (since he quotes "Stalsche Type im Museum 

 in Stockholm" after the description), differs widely from Stal's 

 original figure,^ leaving one to wonder which figure is correct. 

 In Stal's figure the width of pronotum is about four times the 

 length, while in Melichar's it is about two and three fourths 



'Hemp. Ins. Philipp. (1870), 754. 



'Fauna Brit. Ind.— Rhynch. (1906), 3, 335. 



" Op. cit., PI. IX. 



Fig. 1. Wing of Hilda breviceps Stal. 



