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been ribbed off. Head black with white lateral and vertical patches. 
Proboscis two-jointed the basal two-thirds creamy-white the apical third 
swollen, black. Abdomen black scaled with white lateral patches and 
constricted basally. Metanotum (?) with scales. 
Male Head. —Purple; space between the eyes and on the vertex clad 
with silvery-white clavate scales, which when fresh are iridescent and shew 
rose and blue tints, on either side is another patch of silvery scales the rest of 
the head being clad with flat velvet-purple scales with rounded ends. When 
seen singly these scales have a brown colour. There are no upright scales. 
Basal joint of antenna light fawn-brown with a silvery frost on it with a 
few hairs on its inner surface but no scales, remaining joints purple with 
downy silvery hairs and purple short verticillate hairs no longer than those 
on the antenna of a female. Clypeus elongated, creamy, with a silvery 
sheen. Palpi similar in colour and about as long as the clypeus from which 
they are with difficulty separated as they are so light in colour and so 
closely applied. They are two-jointed and clad with a few scales which take 
the colour of their background and can therefore only be seen with difficulty. 
Proboscis consists of two portions the apical third being hinged on to 
the basal portion. The basal two-thirds is about half the length of the 
abdomen and, except just at its apex where it darkens a little, is of a creamy 
light brown and clad with long hairs but no scales or if with scales they are 
not easy to detect; the apical third is in the dried state bent upwards 
but when living the whole proboscis lies along the venter exactly like the 
proboscis of a hemipterous insect. This apical portion is also clad with long 
hairs and with purple scales. Anything more unlike the proboscis of a 
mosquito could not well be pictured. 
Thorax .—Prothoracic lobes large dark purple and clad with almost 
circular glistening pearly-white scales. Mesonotum dark purple ; on either 
shoulder, i.e., the portion of mesonotum lying above the prothoracic lobe on 
either side there is a patch of circular glistening pearly-white scales. All 
these white scales become azure-blue or rose-pink in certain lights. The 
rest of the mesonotum is unfortunately almost entirely denuded but at the 
margins there are a few bronzy narrow-curved scales left. Scutellum light 
brown, clad with small racquet-shaped dark brown flat scales. Pleurae 
light brown with large purple patches which are densely clad with almost 
circular pearly-white scales. Wings smoky with brown scales; a single 
row of small spatulate median scales on all the veins and small linear 
lateral scales on the anterior veins to the upper branch of fifth (inclusive); 
fork cells rather long, of about equal width, first longer than the second in 
the proportion of three to two, its stem about one-third the length of the 
cell, its base nearer wing base; posterior cross-vein, its own length from 
median. Coxae pale yellowish-brown with flat silvery scales. All the rest 
of the legs clad with coppery-bronze scales except the venter of the hind 
femora which are pale silvery-brown ; apices of tibiae much enlarged; 
ungues of fore legs very small apparently equal and simple ; mid legs gone ; 
hind ungues simple and equal. 
Abdomen .—Basal segments narrow giving the appearance of a waist. 
This is not due to shrinking but is a natural condition. Most of the 
abdomen clad with dark velvety-purple scales. On the second, fourth, 
