408 



CICINDELIDiE. 



shallowly but distinctly sculptured ; abdomen shining black ; 

 trochanters dark. 



Length 20-23 millim. 



Madras : Travancore, Mysore, Cochin, Nilgiri Hills, Utakamand, 

 5000-7000 ft., Shimoga, Pondicherry; Bombay.- Kanara; Sikkim: 

 Darjiling. 



It appears to be common in the Nilgiris. Mr. Andrewes writes 

 as follows: — '•' April-July, 5000-7000 ft., running and flying in 

 grassy places; ouce on a juugly road; Droog and Ootacamund 

 Downs." Many remains of Dorysihenes montanus were found in 

 places on the Downs where C. aurofasciata was very abundant, 

 and perhaps the insects were destroyed by it. 



Var. lepida, Gory. 



In this variety the yellow colour of the elytra is much extended, 

 the dark markings of the elytra consisting of a triangular patch at 

 the base, a small triangular patch at each margin behind this, and 

 a large round black spot before the apex ; it is described as much 

 narrower and less cylindrical, but this is not the case with the 

 specimens I have seen. C. aurofasciata is very variable as regards 

 size and breadth when a large series is examined. Many of these 

 conspicuous insects were described by the old authors from single 

 specimens and hence has arisen much of the confusion. 



Length 20-22 millim. 



Madras: Bangalore, Mysore, Nilgiri Hills, 2500 ft, (H. L. 

 Andrewes), Shimoga ; Bombay : Belgaum (H. E. Andrewes), 

 Kanara (Bell). 



With regard to C. aurofasciata and its variety lepida, I have 

 received the following particulars from Mr. H. E. Andrewes, to 

 whom they were communicated by Mr. H. L. Andrewes : — 

 " Another interesting point is in regard to O. aurofasciata, Dej., 

 and its var. lepida, Gory. He says he has never found the type- 

 form in the Nilgiris at a height under 5000 ft., while all the var. 

 lepida occur at about 2500 ft. Mr. Bell and I used to get var. 

 lepida at Kanara and Belgaum respectively, also at 2500 ft., though 

 we did not get the type-form. The latter would therefore appear 

 to be the high-level and the variety the low-level form." 



The lowland form, according to Dr. Horn, is decidedly more 

 agile and takes to flight more easily than the upland form, which 

 sits and runs about in the grass and is quite easily caught by hand ; 

 it abounds all over the plateau where there is grass. The lowland 

 form is found all along the road from Gudalu to Tippukadu, the 

 country being teak and bamboo jungle, with a strip of grass 

 covering the road (Annotated List of Beetles in the Indian 

 Museum, i, p. 26). 



Var. seminigra, no v. 



This variety differs from the tvpe-form in having no yellow 

 apical markings, the whole of the elytra from just behind the 



