CO LEO PTERA. 
MELOLONTHA V IRIDI -M N E A. 
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 Viridi-jenea: thorace aeneo nitido elytrifque teftaceis viridi micantibus corpore viridi, 
pedibus teftaceis. 
Nature feems to have devoted abundant attention to the embellifhment of this common infeft. Its 
glow of colouring is peculiar and inimitable. The prevailing hues do not fo ftridly pleafe us by their 
harmony as their contraft, which indeed is ftriking, or rather glaring, but upon the whole produce a 
rich effea. The ground colour of the body is teftaceous, gloffed with a clear pellucid green, and as the 
infea moves, the more prominent parts illumined by the concentrated rays of light that ftrike upon its 
polithed furface appear highly metallic, partaking either of a brafly, or golden fplendoui. 
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-aenea. 
LUCANUS JNETJS. 
GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Antennae clavated, the club comprefled, and divided into fliort pectinated laminae: jaws advanced and 
dentated: fhanks of the anterior legs dentated: feet of five joints. 
I 
