( 277 ) XIII. Olservations on the Dermatoptera, including revisions of several Genera, and descriptions of New Genera and Species. By Malcolm Burr, B.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.E.S. [Read February 3rd, 1904.] The examination of the fine collection of Dermatoptera in the National Museum of Paris has involved tlie descrip-tion of a large number of new species and some new genera ; I have taken the opportunity of revising a few genera that were in need of revision, and of describing a number of new forms in my own and other collections. I acknowledge my indebtedness to Sir George Hampson and to Mr. W. F, Kirby for their permission to avail myself of the material in the British Museum, and to describe a few species from that collection. REVISION OF THE GENUS DIFLATYS, SERF. The examination of a number of specimens of this genus has shown me clearly that several species have hitherto been confounded together, and that the old characters are useless. I have accordingly made a study of the entire genus and drawn up the following synoptical table of the species, based almost entirely on new char-acters. For the discrimination of the species of Diplatys especially, it must be borne in mind that details of colour are worse than useless, and more often misguiding than helpful, though the general system of coloration is valuable, if employed with care. Doubtless when a larger collection is brought together, this revision will be superseded, though I have been able to examine the types of nearly all the species, but as the characters which I have adopted, namely, the form of the occiput and of the pronotum, group the species according to their geographical distribution, I hope that the new arrangement will be an improvement upon the old. TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1904. — PART IL (jUNE)
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