Genus Megarhinus 
231 
Palpus and cross-veins of 
Megarhinus purp ureus. 
of the wings, and brilliant blue and purple in front of the 
scutellum; sides of the mesonotum in front with a reddish-brown 
patch beneath the azure-blue band, then a grey-scaled patch, 
whilst in front lies the mauve-scaled 
prothoracic lobe on either side ; scu¬ 
tellum brilliant blue scaled ; pleurae 
yellowish-brown with white scales; 
metanotum pale chestnut-brown. 
Abdomen brilliant purple, first 
segment pale peacock blue ; the seg¬ 
ments with apical golden lateral spots ; £ 
venter dull golden; there are traces 
of yellow and black caudal ornamen¬ 
tation, yellow hairs on the penul¬ 
timate, black on the apical segments. 
Legs steel blue, with purple re¬ 
flections ; the mid legs with white on 
one side of the first and second tarsal 
joints; hind legs with the third and fourth joints absent, no 
trace of white on the front legs or remaining parts of the hind. 
In another specimen the third hind tarsus is white on one 
side, the last joint is absent; fore and mid ungues equal, simple, 
nearly straight. 
Wings with a brownish tinge, steel-blue scales on the roots 
of the veins and on the costal border and first long vein; 
first sub-marginal cell very small; supernumerary cross-vein a 
little more than twice its own length distant from the mid cross¬ 
vein (nearer the apex of the wing) ; posterior cross-vein close 
to the mid cross-vein, long, sloping towards the base of the 
wing. 
Length .—8 to 8 * 5 mm. 
Habitat .—Amazon (Bates), 1861. 
Observations .—Described from two $’s in the Hope Collection 
at Oxford University. It resembles M. ferox, but can at once 
be told by the abdomen being brilliant purple instead of steel 
blue, with apical yellow bands, and by the four, not five, jointed 
palpi. The venation also differs in regard to the position of the 
cross-veins. 
