226 



HALTICINvE. 



It has a wide distribution also beyond our faunistie limits and 

 exhibits much variation in colour and markings. The general 

 colour is brown, which varies from a lighter to a much deeper 

 shade, the latter being almost a dark red ; in some cases the elytra 

 are lighter than the pronotum or the underside. On the elytra 

 are the following black spots and patches: (i) two spots on the 

 suture, one behind the scutellum and the other near the apex, 

 each of these being common to the two elytra, and the apical one 

 always the larger of the two ; (ii ) on each elv tron, in a line parallel 

 to the suture and close to it, two large patches ; (iii) in a line com- 

 mencing from the humerus and parallel to the lateral margin there 

 are usually four patches, but in many specimens six (presumably 

 in the examples from which the original description was drawn 

 up there were only four) — the first is a large roundish patch 

 covering the humerus, the second a small spot (usually absent) on 

 the margin a little behind and below the humerus, further back is 

 the third spot, also smaller than the fourth patch, which latter is 

 situated next to it (and on a level with the second of the two in 

 the inner series); the fifth lies on the bend where the margin of 

 the elytron curves in towards the apex, and the sixth is a small 

 streak staining the apical angle, and absent in some specimens. 

 This pattern of the markings is very variable, as is also their 

 colour, and it seems that the varieties tend to he fixed in particular 

 localities. In five examples from Wellesley Province, Federated 

 Malay States (British Museum), the spots are reduced in number; 

 in the lateral marginal line six spots are present, but that on the 

 apical angle coalesces with the apical one of the two spots on 

 the suture, and is also sometimes joined by a streak to the fifth 

 spot of the lateral marginal series. In thirteen examples from 

 Burma the patches are generally much enlarged and have coalesced 

 to form a lateral band, but not to such an extent as to obliterate 

 completely the original plan ; the humeral patch is fused with 

 the first patch of the subsutural series, and the first common 

 sutnral spot is also sometimes joined to these two fused spots by 

 two oblique streaks; the second patch of the subsutural series 

 is enlaced and fused with the fourth of the marginal series, the 

 band so formed sometimes attaining very great breadth ; the fifth 

 and sixth spots of the marginal series and the second apical sutural 

 natch (common to the two elytra) are all three fused : this pattern, 

 derived from the original plan, is friirly constant, showing slight 

 variations within itself; the colour of the spots and patches is 

 dark red-brown and not black. In ten examples from the 

 Andaman Islands the spots have a tendency to broaden and fuse 

 in a similar wav as in the Burmese specimens, but not to the same 

 extent, and their colour remains black. In one specimen from 

 Assam, in which the second patch of the subsutural series and the 

 fifth of tbp marginal series have fused, there is a long black band 

 along the n argins from the humerus to the apex. 



In structure this species closely resembles the form described 



