MEGARHINU8 HTPOPTES 957 



DeSCBIPTION of FeMAIJ;, MAUE, and LAEVA of MbGABHINUS HTPOPTES : 



Female. — Proboscis rather long, curved, tapering to a point. Palpi long, 

 rather stout, nearly two-thirds the length of the proboscis; long joint rather 

 stout, compressed, with a constriction at basal two-fifths; penultimate joint 

 cylindrical, about two-fifths the length of the preceding; terminal joint minute; 

 vestiture deep violet-blue, long joint golden-scaled beneath, penultimate joint 

 with scattered golden scales on the inner side ; apices of joints and false articu- 

 lation pale lilac scaled. Antennae filiform, delicate, the joints subequal, with 

 whorls of very sparse hairs; second segment nearly twice the length of third 

 and but little stouter, its basal half with a crest of erect dark scales ; tori black 

 with silvery pruinosity. Clypeus transverse and broadly rounded, black, with 

 silvery pruinosity. Occiput covered with flat, brilliant dark blue scales, margins 

 of eyes narrowly silvery-white ; cheeks and head beneath silvery scaled. 



Prothoracic lobes very prominent, covered with flat, brilliant blue scales and 

 bearing a few coarse black sets. Mesonotum predominatingly metallic-blue 

 scaled, a pair of subdorsal brown stripes, broad in front and narrowing pos- 

 teriorly, not reaching the base ; lateral margins involving anterior angles 

 broadly silvery-blue scaled; roots of wings brilliant blue scaled. Scutellum 

 bright blue scaled in the middle, silvery-blue at the sides. Postnotum chestnut- 

 brown, nude. Pleurae and coxae luteous-brown, densely silver scaled. 



Abdomen subcylindrical, dorsally depressed ; dorsal vestiture metallic green- 

 ish-blue at base, deeper blue towards apex, a series of segmental, lateral pale 

 golden spots, which become apical on sixth and seventh segments ; first segment 

 bright silvery-blue scaled; eighth segment entirely violet golden; venter pale 

 golden-sealed, with median longitudinal violet-blue line, narrowest on seventh 

 segment ; eighth segment mostly violet-blue scaled ; lateral cilia pale yellowish, 

 terminal bristles black ; no caudal tufts. 



Wings rather narrow, hyaline with a slight smoky tinge, particularly on 

 anterior portion; costal vein dark purple scaled; basal cross-vein oblique, 

 contiguous with anterior cross-vein. Halteres pale, with black silver scaled 

 knobs. 



Legs slender, dark blue and violet scaled, femora brassy beneath ; front tarsi 

 with second and third joints silver-blue scaled all around; middle tarsi with 

 second and nearly all of third joints silver-white sealed all around, some white 

 scales at base of fourth joint; hind tarsi with apex of third and all of fourth 

 and fifth joints silver-white scaled all around. Claw formula, 0.0-0.0-0.0. 



Length : Body about 7 mm. ; wing 6 mm. 



Male. — Proboscis rather long, curved, tapering to a point. Palpi long, some- 

 what exceeding the proboscis in length ; long joint rather stout, somewhat com- 

 pressed, apex dilated, with a false articulation before the middle ; penultimate 

 joint slightly more than half the length of preceding, equally stout and some- 

 what compressed ; terminal joint about as long as long joint, slender, slightly 

 curved and tapering to a point; vestiture metallic blue and purple, false articu- 

 lation and apices of all but last joint silvery- violet scaled; long joint mostly 

 brassy scaled at the sides and beneath. Antennae rather stout, densely plumose ; 

 last two joints long and slender, the others short, stout, cylindrical, with basal 

 whorls of long dense hairs; second segment about three times as long as the 

 succeeding one, rather stout and with a dense crest of scales, black on basal 

 half and metallic blue apieally; tori black with silvery pruinosity. Clypeus 

 transverse, broadly rounded, black with silvery pruinosity. Occiput metallic- 

 blue, ocular margins brighter blue. Mesonotum clothed on the disk with deep 

 brown, greenish-black and coppery-bronze scales intermixed, lateral margins 

 broadly bright metallic blue scaled ; also indications of a median and subdorsal 

 stripes ; patches of brilliant blue scales over roots of wings. Scutellum clothed 



