CICINDELIME. 11 



(6) 6. Cicindela purpurea. (Olivier.) Purple Cicindela. 



Cicindela purpurea. Oliv. Ent. ii, n. 33, 11 ; t. iii, /. 34. Schon. Syn. i, 240, 14. De J. Cat. 1. Say. Amer. Trans. 



N. S. i, 449, 8 ; t. xiii, /. 8. 

 Cicindela marginalis. Fab. Syst. Eleuth. i, 240, 43. De J. Coleopt. i, 55, 39. 



Length of the body 7 — 1\ lines. 



Several varieties of this beautiful species were collected in the Expedition, but 

 the finest specimen I have seen was taken in Canada by Capt. Sheppard, f.l.s. of 

 his Majesty's Royal Regiment of Artillery. I have also received it from various 

 other parts of North America. The green varieties of this species seem to be the 

 American representatives of C. campestris so common in England and all Europe. 

 As this species varies greatly, I shall take my description from Capt. Sheppard's 

 specimen, which may be regarded as the most perfect type of the species. 



DESCRIPTION. 



? 



Body underneath with the trunk resplendent with green, gold, and copper, — abdomen, with the 

 exception of the green anal segment, blue ; above purple with the base and apex of the prothorax 

 green ; the suture of the elytra is also green, and adjoining to the lateral margin is a blue and green 

 longitudinal stripe ; at the base of the elytra is a humeral dot, a little before the middle near the 

 margin a round spot, in the middle a bent band, below this another round spot, and at the apex a 

 triangular one, all pale buff-coloured and distinctly marked. 



Variety. B. c?. In this the spots and band of the elytra are the same in number and situation, 

 but not so broadly traced as in A. The humeral dot is also larger than 

 the marginal one between it and the band. Taken in Canada by Dr. 

 Bigsby. 



C. ?. Lateral stripe of the elytra all green; spotted as in B, but the humeral spot 



is of the same size as the succeeding one. In Mr. Marsham's collection. 



D. ? . Elytra without the humeral and first marginal spots ; the other spots as in 



variety B, except that the band does not approach the lateral margin. 



E. 8. ?. Elytra with a discoidal oblique and apical transverse streak. Taken in 



the expedition, and in New England, by Professor Peck. 



F. ? . Elytra purple tinted with green, lateral stripe blue and green ; discoidal band 



sinuated; no humeral or marginal spots: apical as in the type. Taken 

 in Canada by Dr. Bigsby. 



G. ? . Elytra entirely green, spotted like variety D. 



H. <$ . ?. Elytra green with a blue marginal stripe, spotted like variety E. Taken 

 in the Expedition, and in New Jersey by Mr. Drake. 

 The transition from the fully characterized type of the present species to those varieties with only 

 two spots, and from them, by means of variety F, to those with green elytra, is so gradual as to 

 convince any careful inspector of them, that all belong to one species : yet a person who had never 

 examined the intermediate varieties would seemingly have good reason for considering them as 

 forming, at least, three distinct ones. 



C 2 ■ 



