# Travels in West Africa, Congo Français, Corisco and Cameroons/Appendix 4

APPENDIX IV
ORTHOPTERA, HYMENOPTERA, AND HEMIPTERA.
The collection formed by Miss Kingsley, though small, contained several species of considerable interest, in addition to the novelties; and hence I have thought it worth while to prepare a complete list. Eight species in all are here described as new, for two of which it has been necessary to establish new genera. It is, however, to be regretted that in most cases only single specimens were received, and several of them were immature, or the number of new species might have been larger.
Order ORTHOPTERA.
Family Blattidæ.
Subfamily Panchiorinæ.
TRICHOMERA, gen. nov.
Female.—Apterous: front of head rounded, projecting beyond the prothorax; face hardly oblique; antennæ thickened at base and tapering to tips; prothorax moderately arched, the hinder angles rounded off, those of the meso- and metathorax less rounded and more produced backwards; tibiæ ​strongly spined above, but femora with no spines, but only clothed with fine hair; abdomen very broad, supra-anal plate triangularly emarginate at the extremity to nearly half its length; cerci very broad, pointed at the end, and a little shorter than the supra-anal lamina.
The unarmed femora place this genus in the Panchlorinæ, but in shape it resembles the females of some of the Blattinæ. The male is probably winged.
Trichomera insignata, sp. n.
Long. corp. 20-21 millim., lat. 13 millim.
Female.—Blackish, with testaceous markings; face nearly smooth, shining black below the vertex, the sides, mouth, and a band within the eyes and antennæ testaceous; vertex testaceous in front, with blackish streaks projecting into it from behind; head and thorax clothed with fine down; prothorax and sides of meso- and metathorax finely punctured, middle of teso- and metathorax and abdomen rather coarsely granulated; mesothorax testaceous, somewhat speckled with reddish brown, the centre filled up with a large blackish blotch, with two projecting angles on each side in front and behind, the two innermost of the hinder projections extending to the hinder margin of the prothorax, and the second of the front projections connected with a large oblong black patch bordering part of the sides of the prothorax; meso- and metathorax bordered on the sides with reddish brown and with several irregular testaceous markings; on the abdomen these are continued more regularly, forming a central and nearly parallel series, and two outer series, the first of which is nearly straight and the second connected with the testaceous border below the lateral angles of the segments; supra-anal plate black, with a broad testaceous band on each side; cerci black; antennæ reddish, shading into brown; pectus testaceous; abdomen brown beneath.
Two specimens obtained.
Family Mantidæ.
Subfamily Mantinæ.
HIERODULA, Burm.
A single immature specimen of this genus, remarkable for the very heavy black band on the front femora and tibiæ and for the black spines of the latter.
Family Phasmidæ.
Subfamily Palophinæ.
Palophus centaurus.
One of the largest winged African Phasmidæ. A single female specimen was in the collection.
Subfamily Phasminæ.
BATHYCHARAX, gen. nov.
Female.—Apterous, rather stout, granulated; antennæ rather shorter than the front femora, 23-jointed, with most of the joints long and cylindrical; scape flattened, about twice as long as. broad, second joint also longer than broad and considerably longer than the following joints; front legs much longer and front femora much thicker than in the last two pairs of legs.
Readily distinguished from Phasma (Bacillus auct.) by the granulated body and the cylindrica] joints of the antennæ.
Bathycharax granulatus, sp. n.
Uniform brown, except that the face is varied above with black and below with yellow. Head with a row of four raised tubercles behind; pronotum with three imperfectly formed grooves and a transverse one dividing it nearly equally; there is also a distinct carina on each side; mesonotum thickly granulated and with three central carinæ, the lateral ones not extending to its extremity, but a central one continued along the metanotum and abdomen; abdomen with segments 2-8 (counting the median segment as 1) gradually diminishing in length; ninth short and transverse; tenth three times as long as broad, gradually tapering, and extending for half its length beyond the operculum; cerci very short, rather broad and rounded, just projecting on each side at the base of the tenth segment. Under surface of the body carinated throughout on the central line behind the propectus, which is carinated on the sides; most of the hinder part of the body is carinated on the sides both above and below the middle. Legs carinated and sulcated; first joint of front tarsi about as long ​as all the remaining joints together; first joint of four hinder legs about as long as the terminal joint, the second and third being each about twice as long as the fourth, which is the shortest.
Dimensions.
millim. :
| Long. corporis | 100 |
| Long.„ antennarum | 18 |
| Long.„ capitis | 6 |
| Long.„ pronoti | 5 |
| Long.„ mesonoti | 22 |
| Long.„ metanoti, cum segmento medio | 17 |
| Long.„ segmenti medii | 4 |
| Long.„ segmenti„terminali | 9 |
| Long.„ femorum anticorum | 24 |
| Long.„ femorum„ mediorum | 19 |
| Long.„ femorum„ posteriorum | 22 |
| Long.„ tibiarum anticarum | 26 |
| Long.„ tibiarum„ mediarum | 15 |
| Long.„ tibiarum„ posteriarum | 22 |
In many particulars this species agrees with the description of Bacillus Buchholzi, Gerstaecker, from the Cameroons (Mitth. naturw. Ver. Neu-Vorpommern und Rügen, xiv. p. 99, 1883), but it is much larger, and the structure of the abdomen appears to be very dissimilar in the two insects.
Family Achetidæ.
Subfamily Gryllotalipinæ.
Gryllotalpa africana.
An abundant species throughout the warmer parts of the world.
Family Phasgonuridæ.
Subfamily Hetrodinæ.
Cosmoderus Kingsleyæ, sp. n.
Long. 21-25 millim.
Rufo-testaceous, abdomen inclining to cupreous, especially in the female; face yellowish, slightly varied with red, and with a black spot on each side at the base of the clypeus; ​antennæ reddish on the basal half, shading into blackish, at least 40-jointed, the scape and second joint thickened, the scape half as long again as broad, the second joint hardly longer than broad, the third joint twice as long as the fourth, the rest tapering and gradually decreasing in length to beyond the middle, when they become longer and more cylindrical; vertex and thorax closely punctured, the latter more coarsely; thorax with two strong spines at the frontal angles, a strong spine on each side, between which runs a raised ridge, and a row of eight large spines behind. There is one more large spine on each side slightly before the others; on the yellow lower ridge of the thorax most of the spines are red, tipped with black; those on the legs are described in characterising the genus, The dividing ridge of the thorax is brownish; before it are two pairs of shallow brownish depressions, and behind it a row of five on each side, curving outwards, and two or three additional pairs in the middle. Abdomen smooth, more or less cupreous, with some scattered punctures towards the end of the segments.
Much resembles C. erinaceus, Fairmaire, from the Gaboon, but only half the size. Described from two males and one female, which hardly differ in structure, thus making it probable that the insect alluded to by Dr. Karsch as the female of Cosmoderus erinaceus (Berl. ent. Zeitschr. xxxi. p. 59) belongs to a different genus, and not improbably to Aprophantia, described below.
The curious wingless insects belonging to the family Hetrodidæ must be very numerous in the warmer parts of Africa. Almost every collection from these regions, however small, furnishes one or more new species if it contains any Orthoptera. I take the opportunity of adding the description of a new genus and species, which appears to have been confounded with Cosmoderus erinaceus, in a footnote.
Subfamily Conocephalinæ.
Pseudorhynchus sicarius.
One specimen.
Subfamily Mecopodinæ
Macroscirtes kanguroo.
One specimen of this curious long-legged insect.
Family Locustidæ.
PŒCILOCERA, Serv.
A single immature specimen probably belonging to this genus.
Cyrtacanthacris ruficornis.
One of the great migratory locusts of Africa. The description of Fabricius seems to have been taken from an unusually dark specimen.
Order HYMENOPTERA.
Section TEREBRANTIA.
Subsection Entomophaga.
Family Braconidæ.
Bracon plumosus, sp. n.
Long. corp. 11 millim.; long. ovip. 10 millim.
Female—Head, antennæ, and abdomen (including the petiole) black above; head beneath and mouth-parts fulvous; mandibles bidentate and tipped with black; thorax wholly rufous. Front legs: coxæ and base of femora rufous, the rest wanting; middle legs rufous, tarsi and tibiæ above black; hind legs black, a white spot at the end of the coxæ above and the second joint of the trochanters rufous, Abdomen below white, with a row of five long black dashes on each side, the first bifid in front. Ovipositor rufous, partly black towards the extremity; above it are two long and rather stout black set, densely plumose beyond the middle, the apical third of the cilia being white; the extreme tip of the setæ is spatulate and whitish beneath. Wings smoky, the transverse nervures bordered with subhyaline.
Probably allied to B. semiflavus, Brullé.
Family Ichneumonidæ.
Subfamily Pimplinæ.
Pimpla nigricornis, sp. n.
Long. corp. cum ovip. 15 millim.; ovip. 3 millim.; exp. al. 23 millim.
Female.—Yellow, antennæ and ovipositor black; vertex with a black band covering the ocelli, which is pointed in front and on each side of the frontal ocellus; mesothorax with a large oval black spot on each side, a triangular reddish patch in front, the hinder angle of which is black, and a transverse black patch in front of the raised scutellum; abdomen yellow on the first two segments and shading into light reddish beyond; a large black spot om each side of segments 3-5; the first segment has a slight impression on each side, the five following ones have a deep groove before the extremity; the front of the body is nearly smooth, but the third segment of the abdomen is sparingly, and segments 4-6 heavily, punc​tured. Legs slightly suffused with reddish; middle femora slightly, and hind femora considerably, thickened; hind legs much longer than the others and hind tarsi clothed with a blackish pubescence.
One specimen.
Allied to the Indian P. punctata, Fabr.
Subfamily Ophioninæ.
Ophion latipenne, sp. n.
Long. corp. 26 millim.; exp. al. 53 millim.; lat. al, ant. 9 millim.
Female,—Rufo-testaceous, slightly pubescent; occiput, antennæ, legs, and especially the sides of the face, slightly more yellowish; eyes slightly emarginate in front just above the antennae, below the antennæ they are nearly parallel, or very slightly incurved. Antennæ pubescent, about 50-jointed joints three and four annular, joint five the longest, the remainder cylindrical, hardly longer than bread in the middle, and gradually tapering and lengthening towards the extremity, the last conical; tips of mandibles black; ocelli very large, filling up the space between the eyes on the vertex, black, except extreme front of the frontal ocellus beneath, and the outer sides of the two hinder ocelli. Thorax and abdomen very finely and closely punctured; mesothorax with two converging lines slightly yellower than the ground-colour, but only carinated at the lateral borders; metathorax also with a middle carina. Abdomen very large, raised, and somewhat compressed laterally. Hind legs longer than the others; all the tibia armed with a pair of terminal spines. Wings rather broad, yellowish hyaline, more strongly tinged with yellow at the base and along the costal area of the hind wings, and towards the tip a little smoky, especially on the hind wings. Nervures rufous along the costa and towards the inner margin; otherwise blackish. Anterior wings with three bullæ—one on the lower curve of the cell near its extremity, one on the recurrent nervule, and the third on the cross-nervule running upwards from the extremity of the internal nervule.
The Ophionidæ of Africa are rather numerous, but very few have yet been described.
Family Evaniidæ.
Evania lævigata.
The species of this curious genus, though rare in England, are common in many countries, and are believed to be parasitic on cockroaches.
Section ACULEATA.
Subsection Heterogina.
Family Formicidæ.
Subfamily Formicinæ.
Camponotus maculatus.
A common African species.
Œcophylla virescens.
These green ants are found throughout the tropics of the Old World, and form their nests of leaves on trees.
Subfamily Ponerinæ.
Anomura molesta.
A species originally described from Mozambique.
Subsection Fossores.
Pelopæus spirifex.
A widely distributed species in South Europe and Africa.
Subsection Diploptera.
Family Eumenidæ.
Eumenes decipiens, sp. n.
Long. corp, 15-17 millim.; exp. al. 25-27 millim.
Head black above, the points of the angles within the eyes yellowish; antennæ ferruginous, black above; face ferruginous, very long, beak-like, sometimes yellow, only the mandibles and a space at the base of the clypeus remaining ferruginous. Prothorax red, with a large triangular black spot nearly filling up the hinder angles on each side; mesothorax black; tegulæ large, black, bordered outside with reddish; scutellum black, a short yellow dash running from its extremity between the base of the wings; postscutellum black, with a yellow dot on each side; metathorax black, deeply sulcated in the middle, and forming two long triangles, the points reddish, into which runs an oblique lateral yellow line. Pectus black, red towards the sutures. Petiole and abdomen black, shining, and much more finely punctured than the thorax; petiole rufous beneath and bordered behind above with a pale yellow line. First segment of abdomen bordered behind above with a yellow line, widely interrupted in the middle. Legs rufous, front (and sometimes middle) tibiæ lined with yellowish; tarsi clothed with greyish pubescence, and the four hinder legs more or less blackish above. Wings iridescent purplish subhyaline.
Agrees very closely with the description and figure of the Javan E. melanosoma, Sauss. but appears to be distinct. Specimens in the British Museum from Sierra Leone were labelled E. melanosoma by the late F. Smith. The species belongs to the group of E. æthiopica, Sauss.
Synagris dentata.
A common African species.
Subsection Anthophila.
Family Apidæ.
Subfamily Megachilinæ.
Euaspis abdominalis.
A single specimen.
Subfamily Xylocopinæ.
Xylocopa imitator.
One specimen.
Order HEMIPTERA.
Suborder Heteroptera.
Family Scutelleridæ.
Subfamily Arthiopterinæ
Plataspis punctata.
A very pretty species.
Brachyplatys pallipes.
One specimen.
Coptosoma Murrayi (?).
* Coptosoma Murrayi, Sign., Thomson, Arch. Ent. ii. p. 271, pl. ii. fig. (1858); Stål, Hem. Afr. i. p. 9 (1864).
* Coptosoma hirtella, Stål, Œfv. Vet.-Akad, Förh. 1858, p. 433.
One specimen only.
Subfamily Scutellerinæ.
Sphærocoris ocellatus.
A common species in most parts of Africa.
Family Pentatomidæ.
Subfamily Pentatominæ.
Gen.———?
An undetermined species of Pentatomidæ, superficially resembling Dolycoris baccarum, Linn., but with longer and more slender antennæ.
Atelocera serrata.
One specimen.
Aspongopus, Lap., sp.
An immature specimen, apparently allied to A. femoralis, Stål; black, with the tegmina, borders of the abdomen, and femora greenish cupreous, and the last joint of the antennæ rufo-testaceous, except at the base.
Subfamily Tesseratominæ.
Piezosternum mucronatum.
One specimen, considerably smaller than P. calidum, Fabr., and agreeing fairly with Palisot de Beauvois's figure quoted above, which I have no doubt was taken from an African specimen, though it has latterly been referred to the American P. subulatum. This small form may or may not prove to be distinct from P. calidum, for a series would be required to compare the characters; and I therefore provisionally retain Palisot's name for it.
Subfamily Phyllocephalinæ.
Gen.———?
An immature specimen, apparently belonging to a new genus near Macrina, Amyot.
Family Coreidæ.
Subfamily Coreinæ.
Mygdonia tuberculosa.
A common West-African species.
Mictis tristator.
Two specimens obtained.
Family Pyrrhocoridæ.
Subfamily Pyrrhocorinæ.
Antilochus submaculatus, sp. n.
Long, corp. 16 millim.
Head red, occiput and vertex black nearly as far as the base of the antennæ, but upper orbits red; the lower part of the head under the proboscis is blackish, except behind; head with a central groove and rugose-punctate; close to the back is a waved line, the narrow part behind which is finely punctured. Antennæ black, the terminal joint testaceous, brown towards the tip. Scape curved, thicker than the remaining joints, and a little shorter than the second and fourth joints, which are of equal length; third joint rather shorter than the scape. Rostrum extending as far as the hind coxæ; the basal joint grooved. Thorax black, bordered all round with testaceous; the inner edge of the border and the hinder lobe marked with large punctures; front lobe with a central groove and not punctured, except on a narrow triangular space in front. Scutellum and clavus sparingly punctured, corium more thickly; scutellum and tegmina black, clavus bordered with a narrow red line at the base and on the inside; corium rather broadly bordered with rufotestaceous on the outside, the stripe then crossing to the end of the clavus, and then curving outwards again, leaving the greater part of the centre and the apex black, as is also the membrane. Legs black; coxæ, trochanters, base and under surface of femora coral-red; tarsi, except the basal joint, yellowish grey below. Pleura black, bordered with testaceous above and in the sutures, and with red below; abdomen coral​red, the first five segments beneath with a long black band on the sides behind.
Allied to A. bœrhaviæ, Fabr., but very distinct.
Family Reduviidæ.
Subfamily Reduviinæ.
Reduvius, Fabr., sp.
An immature specimen.
Family Belostomatidæ.
Hydrocyrius herculeus (?).
* Hyotrephes herculeus, Stål, Œfv. Vet.-Akad. Förh. 1855, p. 46.
* Hydrocyrius hercuteus, Stål, Hemipt. Afr. iii, p. 181 (1865).
Prom Lembarene.
Agrees fairly with Stål's description, taken from Caffrarian specimens.
List of Arachnida and Myriapoda sent by Miss Kingsley to the British Museum.
| A. Ticks. | —Red velvety Tick from Ambaca—Trombidium tinctorium, Linn. | —Red velvety Tick from Ambaca—Trombidium tinctorium, Linn. |
| | Elephant Tick from Old Calabar—Ixodes sp.? | Elephant Tick from Old Calabar—Ixodes sp.? |
| B. Spiders. | —1. Nephila femoralis, Luc. | The two species that spin the great webs of which the natives use the silks. |
| | 2. Nephila lucasii, Sim. Gold Coast and Old Calabar. | The two species that spin the great webs of which the natives use the silks. |
| | 3. Heteropoda venatoria, Linn. Old Calabar. Large, long-legged, flattish House Spider. | 3. Heteropoda venatoria, Linn. Old Calabar. Large, long-legged, flattish House Spider. |
| | 4. Ctenus guineensis, Luc, Old Calabar. Large Spider. | 4. Ctenus guineensis, Luc, Old Calabar. Large Spider. |
| C. Pedipalp. | —Titanodamon johnstonii, Poc. Old Calabar. Okyon, Talagonga. | —Titanodamon johnstonii, Poc. Old Calabar. Okyon, Talagonga. |
| D. Millipede. | —Oxydermus vittatus, Cook. Old Calabar. | —Oxydermus vittatus, Cook. Old Calabar. |
List of Shells, etc. Collected at Corisco, Gaboon Estuary.
* Conus prometheus.
* Terebra cingula, Kiener.
* Malongena morio, Lamarck.
** Purpura coronata, Lamarck.
* Cypræa starcororia, Linn.
* Cypræa lurida, Linn.
* Cypræa zonata, Chamintz.
* Strombus bubonius, Lamarck. (Fernando Po.)
* Cassis spinosus, Gronovius,
* Littorina ahenea, Reeve.
* Pachymalania Byroni, Gray. (Old Calabar R.)
* Tympanolomus fuscatus, Linn.
* Tympanolomus radula, Linn.
* Achatina marginata, Swainson.
* Achatina balteata, Reeve.
* Pseudachatina Downesi, Gray.
* Cardium costatune, Linn.
* Dosinia africana, Gray.
* Cardita lacunosa, Reeve.
* Macoma nymphalis, Lamarck.
* Schizodesma nitida, Schrectar.
* Schizodesma largillierti, Philippi.
* Standella silicula, Deshayes.
* Donose rugosus, Linn.
* Ungulina alba, Kang.
Two Gorgonias.
* Leptogorgia pinnata.
* Antillia sp.
Plants Collected in the Cameroons and Ogowé Districts.
* Triumfetta semitriloba, O.
* Adenocarpus Mannii, Hook.f. C.
* Crassula abyssinica, A. Rich. C.
* Morinda citrifolia, O.
* Psychotria sp. O.
* Helichrysum Mannii, Hook. f. C.
* Helichrysum globosum, Schpr. C.
* Senecio Burtoni, Hook. f. C.
* Senecio clarenceana, Hook. f. C.
* Lactuca capensis, Thunb. O.
* Ericinella Mannii, Hook. f. C.
* Lippia sp. near L. asperifolia, A. Rich. C.
* Stachys? C.
* Habenaria, 3 species. C.
* Renealmia africana, Benth. C.
* Commelinacea sp. O.
* Cyperus diffusus, Vahl. O.
* Gleichenia dichotoma, Hook. O.
* Pteris aquilina, O.
* Pteris quadriaurita, Retz. C.
* Asplenium Brachypteron, Kze. C.
* Nephrodium cicutarium, Baker. C.
* Nephrodium Filix mas, Rich? C.
* Dalbergia? O.
* Usnea barbata, Fr. O.
* Usnea barbata, var. O.
* Physcia lencomela, Mich. O.
Fasicated stem of Dracanea from Rembwé Swamps.
List of Grasses Collected in West Tropical Africa.
* Trichopteryx near T. elegans.
* Trichopteryx flammida, Benth.
* Pennisetum setosum, Rich.
* Setaria sp. near S. aurea.
* Panicum ovalifolium, Beauv.?
* Panicum plicatum, Lam.?
* Paspalum paniculatum, L.
* Sporobolus elongatus, R. Br.
* ↑ This collection is entirely from Lembarene. (River Ogowé). I have no lists of collection of insects from Calabar.—M. H. K.
* ↑ APROPHANTIA, gen. nov. Allied to Cosmoderus, but with longer and more slender legs, the hind tibiæ especially being considerably longer than the others. All the tibiæ sulcated, front tibiiæ with conspicuously open foramina. Femora above with a strong pair of terminal spines; femora and tibia otherwise unarmed above, but with a double row of very strong spines beneath. Frontal spine very strong; front coxiæ spined, and a spine in front of themiddle tarsi.  Abdomen smooth; mesothorax raised in the middle, its front angles armed with a large double spine, from which a strong carina runs to the sides of the ridge, where the carina rises into another large spine; the hinder part of the mesothorax is armed with a row of nine or ten more strong spines, extending on each side nearly to the level of the front coxæ Aprophantia maculata, sp. n. Long. corp. 38-48 millim.  Testaceous yellow (probably green during life); the tips of the spines, a double row of spots more or less complete on both sides of the femora, and a patch over the foramina on the front tibiæ black. Antennæ testaceous, with five long black bands increasing in length, the last terminal. Male with some obsolete brown markings on the face, two running up from above the frontal horn, and one on each side beyond, angulated outwards. The male also has some obsolete depressed brown marks on the front and sides of the thorax above, nearly as in the species of true Cosmoderus. In the female these markings are wanting, and the colour is darker, especially at the sides of the thorax, the front and back of the abdomen, and towards the extremities of the tibiæ, and along their carinæ. The male has three pairs of spines on the femora beneath and two additional spines en the outer carina of the hind femora, and six pairs of spines on the four front tibiæ, and eight or nine rows of spines (not all paired) on the hind tibiæ. The female differs in having five pairs of spines on the hind femora, but the legs are otherwise spined nearly as in the male.  Described from a single pair (♂ and ♀) from the Cameroons.
* ↑ All these insects were collected during the dry season.— M, H. K.
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