184 



INTRODUCTION. 



pointed out the probability that some of the more conspicuous 

 genera of Longicornia are really protected by their striped black 

 and white colouring, which tones down and mingles at a little 

 distance like that of the zebra in the dusk. Among the Longi- 

 corns there are many instances of this colouring; the black and 

 white stripes may be arranged longitudinally as in Omithia, 

 Platyarthron, Tceniotes, and many species of Doreadion, or trans- 

 versely, or in more or less confluent rows as in Tmesisternus, 

 Colobothea, etc. Among the Longicorns, also, we find very many 

 instances of true mimicry ; to quote what I have said before 

 (I. c. p. li) : "A great many Coleoptera are protected by their 

 resemblance to well-protected insects, such as ants, bees and 

 wasps, and, in such cases, they often resemble the species they 

 copy, not only in colour but in habit; thus Clytus arietis is very 

 different from the usually sluggish Longicorns, and runs swiftly up 

 and down the leaves on which it settles just like a wasp ; Pachyta 

 cerambyciformis, again, may be seen hovering up and down over 

 shrubs just like liymenopterous insects. A strong resemblance 

 to wasps and bees is found in members of the Longicorn genera, 

 Estlusis (Australia), Acyplwderes (Brazil and Mexico), Sphecomorplni 

 (Brazil), Isthmiade (Brazil), HepJuestion (Chili), Bromiades (Cuba), 

 and many others ; two of the most striking examples are, perhaps, 

 Ccdlispliyris macrojms, JVewm., from Chili and Peru, and Ulochoetes 

 leoninus, Lee, from British Columbia ; the latter is exactly like a 

 species of humble bee." The Longicorn genus Macrones (Australia ) 

 resembles large BiiAcmiDiE, while Dr. Sharp's strange Hawaiian 

 genera Playitlimysus and Callithmysus have a strongly Ortho- 

 pterous appearance : Pseudocephalus bears a striking resemblance 

 to ants and Ecihistatus is like an Arachnid. 



The Heteromera, as is well known, imitate a very large 

 number of other Coleoptera, but if we study the Longicoenia, 

 we shall find that they quite equal them, if they do not surpass 

 them, in this respect. Thus we have Collyrodes imitating Collyris, 

 and Gnoma mimicking Tricondyla, among the Cicindeeed^e ; 

 Baprestomorpha, as its name implies, is very like a Buprestid ; 

 while Trayocerus resembles certain Ela.terid^e. Several species 

 of Dadoychus (Hemilophus) closely resemble certain Lampyrepos, 

 even to the phosphorescent segments of the underside ; in fact, 

 D. flavocinctus was described by Chevrolat as a Lam py rid. A 

 considerable number of Longicorns are like Hispin.e (e.g. Erythro- 

 platys and JEchmutcs), while others resemble Lycinje (Eroschema, 

 Pi/resthes, etc.), and others again (e. g. Oxycalymma telephorina, 

 Bates) bear a close similarity to Cantharen^e ; Acmcmps and 

 Gaurotes in several cases are exactly like species of Crioceris 

 and Lema ; Steplianops is something like a Brenthid, but a better 

 imitation of small BrenthiD-E is found in Spcdacopsis ; Moneilema 

 resembles Blaj)s, Lychrosis (from India) is like a Cleonus (Cetrcu- 

 lionid.e), and Compsosoma (Eusphcerium) purpureum, Nevvm., 

 might pass as an Erotylid ; and so we might go on. 



Many of the species have the power of stridulating, the organs 



