HEMIPTERA— HETEROPTERA. 



115 



on colour characters, so that without a revision of these genera it is impossible 

 to place entirely black species such as the f)resent. 



In his catalogue of the Heniiptera of Fiji, Kirkaldy wrongly referred two 

 species to the genus Stalagmostethus Stal. The first, Lygaeus mactans Stal., 

 is the genotype of the perfectly distinct Melanerythrus Stal. The second, 

 S. ornatus, described by Kirkaldy as a new Fijian species, differs (with the 

 exception of the relative length of the second and fourth antennal segments), 

 in almost every respect from the genotypical species Stalagmostethus furcatus F. 

 Stalagmostethus St§.l., is in fact an African genus. Kirkaldy apparently sus- 

 pecting his own generic determination, pointed out certain differences and 

 suggested a new subgeneric name Nesostethus (type S. ornatus Kirk.). This is 

 evidently a perfectly good genus, and judging by Kirkaldy's description, and 

 having regard to the similarity of the Fijian and Samoan faunae, the present 

 Samoan species has been referred to it, in spite of the fact that there are certain 

 differences which Stal and Kirkaldy have regarded as of subgeneric importance. 

 This course seems to be preferable (for the time being at any rate) to that of 

 creating still another genus. 



27. Graptostethus nigriceps Stal. 



Graptostetlms servus (F.) var. nigriceps, Stal, Enum. Hemipt., IV, p. 117, 1874. 

 Graptostethus servus Kirk., Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, XXXIII, p. 354, 1908. 



Upolu : — Apia: 1 specimen, lO.v.1922 (Armstrong). 



Savaii : — Safune : Rain Forest, 2,000-4,000 ft., 1 specimen, 4.V.1924 

 (Bryan). 



Tutuila :— 1,000 ft., 1 specimen, 13.X.1918 (Kellers). 



Originally recorded by Stal from the Pacific Islands, Guam, Ascension and 

 Fiji. In the British Museum are specimens from New Hebrides (J. J. Walker) 

 and New Caledonia (J. J. Walker), which appear to represent this species. 



In spite of a certain amount of variation exhibited amongst themselves, 

 the Samoan specimens have all been referred to G. servus var. nigriceps Stal. 

 The chief distinctive character of this variety is the entirely black head (except 

 the bucculae, which are pallid), and since Kirkaldy's G. vitiensis also differs 

 from typical G. servus F. in the black head (including the hvLcculae, fide Kirk.), 

 it is quite possible that vitiensis Kirk, is synonymous with nigriceps Stal. 

 There are, however, certain characters in which Kii'kaldy's species appears to 

 differ. He distinguishes vitiensis from servus mainly by the length of the 



