﻿6-26 
  Transactions 
  South 
  African 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  [vol. 
  xii. 
  

  

  long 
  hind 
  legs 
  emerging 
  from 
  the 
  pistils 
  of 
  a 
  composite 
  flower 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  mobbing 
  a 
  female 
  which 
  is 
  almost 
  entirely 
  buried 
  head 
  

   foremost 
  in 
  the 
  pistils, 
  the 
  sub-horizontal 
  pygidium 
  alone 
  being 
  

   exposed 
  to 
  view. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  when 
  disentangling 
  themselves 
  that 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  hind 
  legs 
  becomes 
  apparent 
  ; 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  his 
  long, 
  

   hinged 
  claw 
  the 
  male 
  hooks 
  himself 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  corolla. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  

   only 
  amongst 
  the 
  flower-frequenting 
  kinds 
  that 
  this 
  extraordinary 
  

   development 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  legs 
  with 
  their 
  curiously 
  serrate, 
  dentate 
  r 
  

   and 
  mucronate 
  tibiae 
  is 
  met 
  with, 
  because 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Hoplocnemis, 
  

   in 
  which 
  this 
  development 
  has 
  become 
  almost 
  a 
  monstrosity, 
  do 
  not 
  

   feed 
  on 
  flowers, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  observed 
  doing 
  so. 
  Their 
  

   habits 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  those 
  of 
  certain 
  Dynastin^e, 
  and 
  I 
  suspect- 
  

   them 
  to 
  live, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  state, 
  in 
  the 
  excrement 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   the 
  subterranean 
  white 
  ant, 
  Hodotermes 
  viator, 
  Latr. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Scelophy 
  sides 
  this 
  great 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  limbs 
  is 
  

   less 
  common. 
  Certain 
  kinds 
  of 
  Monochelus 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  

   on 
  grasses. 
  The 
  males 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  kind, 
  M. 
  spinipes, 
  are 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Cape 
  Colony 
  flying 
  in 
  fields 
  of 
  

   young 
  oats 
  or 
  corn, 
  and 
  they 
  seldom 
  settle 
  on 
  flowers 
  ; 
  the 
  females 
  

   are 
  seldom 
  seen. 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  Fry 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  captured 
  the 
  

   not 
  less 
  large 
  species 
  M. 
  natalensis 
  on 
  oat-sheaves 
  carted 
  from 
  the 
  

   field 
  in 
  the 
  Umvoti 
  County 
  in 
  Natal. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  

   group 
  are, 
  however, 
  flower-loving 
  insects, 
  except 
  perhaps 
  Idutyna 
  

   collaris 
  and 
  its 
  close 
  ally, 
  Platychclus 
  hoplioides, 
  which 
  I 
  never 
  

   found 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  All 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Platychclus 
  are 
  very 
  

   hairy, 
  and 
  although 
  living 
  undoubtedly 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  flower 
  

   they 
  are 
  certainly 
  excellent 
  instruments 
  for 
  its 
  fertilisation. 
  In 
  one 
  

   genus 
  (Outeniqua) 
  the 
  male 
  of 
  the 
  only 
  species 
  known 
  has 
  the 
  hind 
  

   legs 
  as 
  much 
  swollen 
  as 
  a 
  Pachycnema. 
  

  

  The 
  true 
  Hoplides 
  are 
  less 
  numerous 
  in 
  kind 
  and 
  in 
  number.. 
  

   They 
  are 
  more 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  Madagascar 
  representatives 
  of 
  

   the 
  group 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  palsearctic 
  ones, 
  for 
  instance, 
  and 
  while 
  some 
  

   are 
  diurnal 
  in 
  their 
  habits, 
  others 
  are 
  probably 
  crepuscular 
  or 
  come 
  

   out 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  when 
  the 
  sky 
  is 
  overcast 
  (Blikana, 
  Harpina,. 
  

   Congella) 
  ; 
  Microplus 
  and 
  Babula 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  crepuscular. 
  

  

  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Hopliin^e 
  in 
  South 
  Africa 
  is 
  very 
  

   interesting. 
  Being 
  entirely 
  dependent 
  on 
  flowers 
  for 
  their 
  sub- 
  

   sistence, 
  they 
  appear 
  suddenly 
  after 
  the 
  rains 
  have 
  set 
  in, 
  and 
  

   disappear 
  as 
  quickly. 
  This 
  is 
  best 
  exemplified 
  in 
  the 
  Cape 
  Colony, 
  

   where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  of 
  country 
  from 
  long. 
  24° 
  E. 
  along 
  

   the 
  south 
  coast, 
  bounded 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  by 
  the 
  Langebergen, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tinuing 
  northwards 
  along 
  the 
  west 
  coast, 
  with 
  the 
  Drakenstein, 
  the 
  

   Olifants 
  Eiver 
  Mountains, 
  the 
  Cedearbergen 
  and 
  Khamiesbergen 
  as 
  

  

  