OCR Text |
Show 202 MR. M. JACOBY O N N E W [Feb. 17, arranged in rather close rows, the interspaces somewhat transversely wrinkled. Legs robust and rather short, the anterior tibiae much flattened and dilated, their inner margin broadly rounded. Abdomen more or less testaceous, rest of the underside piceous. Nikko. The three specimens obtained by Mr. Lewis are all males, and scarcely differ from each other. In one the anterior margin of the thorax is very narrowly flavous, and two obscure small spots of the same colour are visible on the elytra immediately below the scutellum, indicating doubtless that the general colour of the upper surface is liable to variation, so that probably individuals may exist in which the yellow colour predominates, as is the case in the closely allied G. pini of Europe. This latter species has the same curious dilatation of the anterior tibiae, but is, I think, a distinct, although closely allied, species. The thorax in the present insect is longer, less transverse, more widened behind, the surface still more closely and finely punctured, and the entire coloration quite different from G. pini, but the same in the three specimens before me except in regard to the slight variation mentioned above ; the lateral margin (narrowly) and the apex of the elytra (broadly) are flavous in all of them. CRYPTOCEPHALUS LIOTHORAX, Solsky. Var. SIGNATICEPS, Baly. C. multiplex 1 Suffr. According to Dr. Kraatz these two forms must be looked upon as representing the same species. 1 believe, however, that the synonyms of this and several allied species are not at all clear and settled. Solsky, for example, makes no mention of the distinct white spot at the apex of the femora, visible in the type described by Mr. Baly before me, and in all the other Japanese specimens I have for comparison. Amongst these there is a variety (differing in no other way but that of colour) which agrees perfectly with one described by Suffrian as C. multiplex from India, which I am inclined to look upon as identical with the present species, since I cannot find any characters by which it may be distinguished. Curiously enough Suffrian, in spite of the particular and lengthened descriptions of all his species, makes no mention of the sculpture of the thorax in C. multiplex. Besides these named species, there are several others, very closely allied, C. transversalis, Suffr., C. luridi-pennis, which may prove eventually to he but varieties of 0. liothorax, which is evidently an extremely variable species. At all events, I have little doubt about the identity of G. multiplex and the present insect. Another apparently very closely allied species is C. tetrathyrus, Solsky, which agrees again very nearly with C. multiplex and with some varieties obtained by Mr. Lewis, except that the anterior legs in Solsky's species are described as testaceous. In the Japanese variety the elytra are black, with the exception of the lateral margin anteriorly, and connected with a rufous transverse band ; another similarly coloured round spot is placed at the apex ; all this and the rest agreeing with the description of C. multiplex. |