CO LEO pr ERA. 
MELOLONTHA VIRIDI-^NEA. 
GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Antennae clavated, with the club lamellated: head broader than long, and rounded in front: thorax 
broad: fcutel round: wing-cafes as long as the abdomen. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 
Thorax brafly, fhining, and with the wing-cafes teftaceous, changeable to green : body green: legs 
teftaceous. 
Melolontha Vikidi-^nea; thorace seneo nitido elytrifque teftaceis viridi micantibus corpore viridi, 
pedibus teftaceis. 
Nature feems to have devoted abundant attention to the embellilhment of this common infeft : its 
glow of colouring is peculiar and inimitable. The prevailing hues do not fo ftridlly pleafe us by their 
harmony as their contraft, which indeed is ftriking, or rather glaring, but upon the whole produce a 
rich effe6t. The ground colour of the body is teftaceous, glolTed with a clear pellucid green, and as the 
infeft moves, the more prominent parts illumined by the concentrated rays of light that ftrike upon its 
polilhed furface appear highly metallic, partaking either of a braffy, or golden fplendour. 
There is another fpecies of the Melolontha genus which alfo is found plentifully in New Holland that 
bears a ftrong affinity to this fpecies, but is of a deeper golden colour, and does not appear changeable to 
green as in our fpecies viridi-senea. 
LUCANUS .^NEUS. 
GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Antennae clavated, the club comprefled, and divided into Ihort pcftinated laminae : jaws advanced and 
dentated: fhanks of the anterior legs dentated : feet of five joints. 
