LUPERUS PRATTI, n. sp.

Black; the lower portion of the head, the base of the antennæ and the legs, flavous; head and thorax impunctate; elytra scarcely perceptibly punctured. Length, 1 line.

Head entirely impunctate, shining, black, the lower portion obscure flavous or testaceous (sometimes piceous), the frontal tubercles strongly raised and broad in shape, the carina short; antennæ stout and rather short, about half the length of the body, the three or four lower joints flavous, the rest black, the third joint scarcely longer than the second one; thorax about one-half broader than long, the sides scarcely rounded, straight near the base, the angles obsolete, the surface entirely impunctate; elytra extremely finely punctured, the punctures only visible with a very strong lens, the interstices smooth, here and there furnished with single erect hairs; under side black; legs flavous, the base of the femora sometimes darker, the first joint of the posterior tarsi not longer than the two following joints together; the tibia with a small spine.

The pale lower portion of the face, the entirely impunctate thorax, and the extremely finely punctured elytra separate L. pratti from several European species with a similar black upper and under surface and pale legs. Amongst the rather numerous specimens obtained a variety is present in which the lower portion of the face and the legs are partly piceous, and it is possible that specimens may be found in which these parts are entirely black. The present species cannot be confounded with L. capito, Weise, on account of the black elytra and abdomen.

LUPERUS HIRSUTUS. (Pl. II., fig. 9.)

This species, described by myself from Japan (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1885, p. 742), was obtained numerously at Chang-Yang.

LUPERUS ÆNESCENS?, Weise.

I refer very doubtfully a small Luperus to Weise's species. This and several others, lately described by this author, are so closely allied to L. flaviventris, Motsch., that it is almost impossible to determine these similarly coloured species without a comparison of the types, especially as varieties in regard to punctuation and even shape have been described by the same author. The present insect is of metallic-green colour above, the abdomen being (as in several others of its congeners) flavous. Weise describes, however, the punctuation of the thorax in nearly all of his species as obsolete ("verloschen "); in the insect before me the thorax is closely and distinctly punctured, the punctures being of different sizes; the elytra also are very distinctly and closely punctate, with the interstices slightly rugose; the shape of the thorax in this and most of the allied species is subject to variation, according to the sexes; in the male it is scarcely broader than long, in the female it is distinctly broader; the antennæ also vary in length, according to the sexes, and this variation prevents a certain determination, when

so many closely-allied forms are concerned. The length of the present species is 1 line.

LUPERUS CAPITO, Weise.

Var. The head (the vertex excepted), thorax, and elytra and legs, testaceous.

Of this very variable little species, Weise has described four varieties. A fifth is contained in this collection, together with the typical form. In this variety the entire insect, with the exception of the apical joints of the antennæ and the vertex of the head, is flavous or testaceous; some specimens, showing traces of the metallic blue colour of the elytra in the type, are also before me. The description of the author agrees with my specimens, with one exception, in regard to the anterior margin of the thorax, which is described as being strongly concave; in the specimens from Chang-Yang, the same margin is nearly straight. Apparently common.

LUPERUS BIPLAGIATUS, n. sp. (Tab. II., fig. 10.)

Flavous; thorax transverse, minutely punctured; elytra very finely punctured in rows, each with a black or piceous spot near the apex. Length, 1 line.

Head with a few very fine punctures at the vertex, deeply transversely grooved between the eyes; frontal elevations transverse, strongly raised; antennæ more than half the length of the body, flavous, the terminal joints slightly darker and thicker, the third and fourth joints nearly equal, elongate; thorax transverse, twice as broad as long, the sides slightly rounded at the middle, the angles slightly thickened, but not produced, the surface very finely and not closely punctured, with two or three very obsolete small depressions, flavous; elytra closely and more distinctly (though finely) punctured than the thorax, flavous, each with a piceous ovate spot near the apex; under side and legs flavous, the tibiæ with a very small spine; the first joint of the posterior tarsi as long as the three following joints together; claws appendiculate; anterior coxal cavities open.

This small species, although possessing the structural characters of Luperus, differs from the more typical species of that genus in the transversely-shaped thorax and the small tibial spines; its size and coloration will distinguish it from its allies. Numerous specimens were obtained.

GALERUCA (ADIMONIA) GRISEO-VILLOSA, n. sp.

Ovate, widened behind, dark fuscous or piceous; above obscure testaceous, finely pubescent; head finely, thorax strongly, punctured, the sides subangulate; elytra very closely punctured without costæ, clothed with greyish long pubescence. Length, 2-3 lines.

Head rather broader than long, finely rugose-punctate throughout; the clypeus with a distinct longitudinal ridge, extending upwards between the antennæ; palpi but slightly incrassate, the terminal joint acutely pointed; antennæ filiform, extending to half the length of the elytra, black, the basal joint testaceous below, the second one slightly shorter than any of the following joints; thorax transverse, about twice and a half as broad as long, the sides distinctly emarginate below the middle, the upper portion forming

a rounded angle, the posterior margin sinuate near the posterior angles, the surface with a shallow lateral and a more distinct longitudinal central depression, closely and somewhat rugosely punctured, the punctures larger at the sides than at the middle of the disc; scutellum broad, finely punctured; elytra punctured like the middle portion of the thorax, and sparingly clothed with long greyish white hairs; legs and under side more or less fuscous, the femora sometimes dark fulvous at the base; the tibiæ unarmed; the first joint of the posterior tarsi as long as the two following ones together; claws bifid; anterior coxal cavities closed.

In the shape of its thorax, the present species resembles somewhat G. tanaceti, but its much smaller size, the absence of any elytral costæ, and the apparently unarmed tibiæ (even when seen with a powerful lens), will distinguish G. griseo-villosa. Four specimens.

GALERUCA CHINENSIS, n. sp.

Ovate, convex, rufous; the antennæ, scutellum, and the apex of the femora and the tibia and the tarsi, black; thorax and elytra finely rugosepunctate, clothed with short yellow pubescence. Length, 2 lines.

Var. Legs entirely black.

Head finely rugose, opaque, the clypeus raised into a strong triangular ridge, labrum partly black, palpi rather slender; antennæ rather stout, scarcely extending to half the length of the body, the lower two joints shining, stained more or less with fulvous below, the others black, opaque, the third joint the longest (except the first), the following nearly equal and shorter; thorax more than twice as broad as long, the sides strongly rounded at the middle, the angles in shape of a small tubercle, the surface with a shallow depression at the sides, and a deeper longitudinal groove at the middle, closely and rather finely rugose-punctate, and sparingly clothed with very short yellow pubescence; scutellum black, finely punctured; elytra sculptured and pubescent, like the thorax; posterior tibiæ with a small spine; the first joint of the posterior tarsi scarcely longer than the second one; claws bifid.

In shape and colour this species resembles greatly G. rufa, Germ., and several North American forms, from all of which it is separated by the finely, not coarsely, rugose thorax and elytra, and the colour of the scutellum and legs.

Three specimens.

CNEORANE APICICORNIS, n. sp.

Fulvous; antennæ (the terminal joints excepted), the mesosternum and abdomen, the tibia and the posterior legs, blackish blue; elytra closely semi-rugose punctate, violaceous. Length, 8 lines.

I am obliged to describe this species as new, since it does not agree with any of the rather numerous and closely allied forms of which it may possibly be a variety. It will be sufficient to point out its principal distinctive characters. There are only about four species with which C. apicicornis can be compared, on account of the dark colour of the posterior legs and anterior tibiæ; these are C. elegans, Baly, C. rufo-cærulea, Fairm., C. intermedia, Fairm., and C. femoralis, Jac. From these and all others (C. fulvicollis, Baly, excepted, which has also fulvous terminal joints of the antennæ, which are, however, incrassate in

the male) C. apicicornis differs in the (generally) three fulvous apical joints of the antennæ (in some specimens the apical one only is of that colour). It is a much smaller insect than C. femoralis, Jac., and the elytra are much more shining, less strongly rugose-punctate, and violaceous instead of blue. Č.rufocærulea, Fairm., is described as being smaller than C. elegans, Baly (41⁄2 to 5 mill.), which is one of the smallest species; all others differ in the colour of the breast, and partly of the legs. The thorax in the present species is broader than long, the sides are rather strongly rounded at the middle, and the surface is not visibly punctured; the antennæ, which are longer than half the length of the body, have the three basal joints more or less fulvous below.

More than twenty specimens which were obtained agree in the above particulars.

CNEORANE ABDOMINALIS, n. sp.

Dark violaceous blue; the antennæ black; thorax extremely finely punctured; elytra distinctly punctate; abdomen fulvous. Length, 2-2 lines.

Head impunctate, the frontal tubercles narrow, oblique; carina acutely raised; palpi slender, piceous; antennæ filiform, black, more than half the length of the body, the third joint one-half longer than the second, but shorter than the fourth; thorax scarcely broader than long, the sides widened at the middle, the anterior angles slightly thickened, but scarcely produced, the surface with a few very minute punctures, only visible with a powerful lens; scutellum broad, black, impunctate; elytra nearly parallel, very finely, closely, and irregularly punctured; tibiæ unarmed; the first joint of the posterior tarsi as long as the two following joints together; claws appendiculate; anterior coxal cavities closed.

C. abdominalis, which may be known from any of its congeners by its uniformly dark blue colour and the flavous abdomen, possesses all the structural characters of Cneorane. It greatly resembles Luperus flaviventris, Motsch., in coloration, but is at once distinguished from that species by the unarmed tibiæ and other structural differences.

Half a dozen specimens.

(To be continued.)

ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES, CAPTURES, &c.

CHEMISTRY OF INSECT COLOURS.-The kiud response that my request for specimens for this investigation (Entom. 131) has already met with, emboldens me to ask if any readers of this journal can let me have a specimen or two each of the following British species, which I should like to examine in time to tabulate and publish the results in their proper connection with those already to hand. As previously explained, broken specimens will answer perfectly; and I need only the wings. It will be noticed that several of these present desiderata are green,-a colour

sufficiently uncommon to make me anxious to examine it in as many and as unrelated species as possible, in order to supplement the not altogether uninteresting results that I have already obtained from green Lepidoptera. The species desired are:-L. pectinitaria, C. psitticata, C. miata, D. orion, A. præcox, A. aprilina, A. herbida, also B. parthenias or B. notha, P. chrysitis (or any allied metallic-marked species), T. fimbria, P. hamula, F. conspicuata, T. amataria, C. ferrugata, C. munitata, N. russula, L. arion, and—were it not asking too great a rarity—H. auroraria and A. rubricata.-F. H. PERRY COSTE.

GAS-LAMP ENTOMOLOGY.-As the question whether the Sphingidæ are attracted by the light from gas-lamps is still being discussed in the 'Entomologist,' it may be of interest to mention that I have on more than one occasion taken Smerinthus populi at gas-lamps in this neighbourhood. It may also be worth mentioning that in August, 1887, I took a specimen of Macroglossa stellatarum on the window of a public-house on the road from Broadstairs to St. Peters, in the Isle of Thanet. The insect had evidently been attracted by the gas in the public-house, and had got caught between the glass of the window and a sliding piece of glass running parallel to it about half an inch away, and extending about two feet up the window, on which the name of the establishment, or some other notice, was engraved.-HENRY A. HILL; 132, Haverstock Hill, N.W., April 2, 1890.

With regard to taking Sphingidæ at light, I may mention that the electric-light at Davos Platz is often visited by Sphinx convolvuli and Deilephila euphorbia, but owing to the height of the lamps it is very hard to work them successfully. Last year a friend showed me a great many Sphingidæ taken at light in the Engadine, chiefly D. euphorbiæ.—LEONARD S. SELLON; Thusis, Grisons.

NOTES ON LEPIDOPTERA FROM ABERDEEN AND KINCARDINESHIRE.During the last three seasons I have collected in the above two shires of Scotland, and have done my best to become acquainted with all the species to be obtained in those counties. With the help of some of my fellowcollectors, I have managed to compile a very respectable list, as follows:Pieris brassica, P. rapa, P. napi, all common. Argynnis selene, A. aglaia, common in marshy places. Vanessa polychloros, occasionally; V. urtica, common in spring and autumn; V. atalanta, V. cardui, occasionally common. Erebia epiphron, scarce; I have not taken this species myself. Satyrus semele, common on the coast. Epinephele ianira, common everywhere. Canonympha typhon, common, but local; C. pamphilus, common. Thecla rubi, common, but local. Polyommatus phlæas, common in spring and autumn. Lycana astrarche, var. artaxerxes, common, but local; L. icarus, common; L. minima, common along the coast. Acherontia atropos, one taken by a fisherman last year; I have heard of others being taken before I collected. Sphinx convolvuli, five taken; two of these I have. Deilephila galii, four taken; three by other collectors, and one by myself. Chaerocampa celerio, one taken by myself in a clothier's shop in George Street, Aberdeen, during my first year; I have not heard of any other specimen being taken; C. porcellus, occasionally common along the coast. Smerinthus populi, larvæ, very common. Zygana exulans, not uncommon; I have not taken it myself; Z. filipendula, common along the coast. Hylophila prasinana, occasionally. Nudaria mundana, common along the coast of Kincardineshire. Lithosia lurideola, occasionally.