XVI.—Descriptions of new Genera and Species of Phytophaga.
By J. S. BALY.
Fam. Sagridæ.
Genus SAGRA, Fab.
Sagra Mouhoti.
S. elongato-ovata, læte purpurea, nitida; thorace fortiter punctato, subquadrato, apice modice producto, angulis anticis prominulis, obtusis; elytris basi elevato-marginatis, intra humeros late excavatis, infra basin leviter transversim depressis, subfortiter subcrebre irregulariter striatopunctatis, interspatiis irregulariter strigosis, læte cupreo-aureis, viridimicantibus, limbo angusto (basi laterali excepta) suturaque (hac antice posticeque angustata) purpureis.
Mas. Femoribua posticis elytra paullo superantibus, validis, intus flavo-tomentosis, subtus ante apicem bidentatis, dente exteriore spinæformi, tibiis ejusdem paris curvatis, intus canaliculatis, flavo-tomentosis, apice mucronatis, extus pone medium in processum brevissimum obtusum productis, abdominis segmento primo remote punctato, parce flavo-tomentoso.
Fœm. Femoribua posticis elytra non superantibus, subtus creta denticulata instructis.
Var. A. Mas. Tibiis posticis simplicibus.
Long. 4—7 lin.
Hab. Cambogia. Collected by M. Mouhot.
Rather longer and less robust than S. carbunculus, Hope. Head deeply punctured on the vertex; antennæ robust, two-thirds the length of the body in the male; thorax (the produced apical border being taken away) almost transverse, apex of anterior angles very obtuse, centre of disk near its base impressed with a moderately deep fovea, above which is a more or less distinct longitudinal line, free from punctures; elytra covered with numerous rows of deeply impressed punctures, nearly regular near the suture, more confused on the sides.
Male. Hinder thighs ovate, their lower edge near the apex furnished with two teeth, the outer one stout, spiniform, and armed at the base behind with a sinuate tooth, the inner one small; intermediate tibiæ abruptly curved.
This lovely species is allied to S. carbunculus.
Fam. Crioceridæ.
Genus STETHOPACHYS.
Corpus elongatum, subcylindricum. Antennæ filiformes, robustæ, articulis secundo et tertio brevibus, longitudine fere æqualibus, moniliformibus. Thorax cylindricus, lateribus valde constrictis. Scutellum subtrigonum,
apice obtuso. Elytra thorace multo latiora, parallela. Pedes mediocres; coxis anticis conicis, contiguis, intermediis cylindricis, metasterno incrassato separatis; femoribus (præsertim posticis) paullo incrassatis; unguibus elongatis, arcuatis, unguiculis basi coalescentibus. Mesosternum elongatum, perpendiculare, apice metasterni non occultato. Metasternum valde incrassatum, antice in processum validum obtusum inter coxas intermedias protensum.
Type, Stethopachys formosa, Baly.
Stethopachys represents, in Australia and the adjacent islands, Plectonychis, Lac., differing from that genus in possessing elongate claws, and in the different form of the mesosternum; this part, instead of being concealed by the projecting metasternum (as in Plectonychis), is in the present case elongate, and placed perpendicularly against the produced anterior surface of the latter, its truncate apex curving slightly forwards, and terminating on a level, or nearly so, with the lower surface of the metasternum.
Stethopachys formosa.
S. subelongata, subcylindrica, nitidissimo-fulva; antennis, oculis, macula verticali, scutello, plaga magna metapleurali utrinque, tibiis tarsisque nigris; thorace subconico, basi unifoveolato, lateribus medio valde constrictis; elytris punctato-striatis, punctis basi profunde impressis, striis ad apicem fere dilatatis, utrisque fasciis duabus latis, prima baseos, macula basali trigonata fulva includente, altera pone medium nigris.—Long. 4 lin.
Hab. Australia.
Lower portion of the face moderately produced; antennæ nearly two-thirds the length of the body, filiform, four basal joints nitidous, the others opake, second and third joints short, submoniliform, fourth rather longer than the third; thorax slightly transverse in front, rather broader at the base, sides deeply constricted in the middle, base above impressed with a small deep fovea, middle of the disk impressed by several irregular rows of fine but distinct punctures, which form together a broad longitudinal vitta; scutellum truncate; elytra much broader than the thorax, slightly narrowed towards their apex, each elytron impressed with ten rows of distinct punctures, their interstices plane, tenth row sulcate, the punctures on the basal half of the four or five inner rows large and deeply impressed, the puncturing of all the striæ very fine towards their apex; hinder thighs shorter than the abdomen; claws large, gradually increasing in length from the first pair backwards.
Stethopachys Javeti.
S. oblongo-elongata, picea, nitida; abdomine pallidiore; antennis nigris; elytris punctato-striatis, fulvis, limbo postico piceo.—Long. 3½ lin.
Hab. New Caledonia.
Antennæ nearly equal to the body in length, moderately robust, filiform, four basal joints shining, the rest opake, second, third, and fourth joints short, gradually increasing in length; thorax subconic, subcylindrical, sides constricted, the constriction being scarcely visible from above, surface smooth and shining, remotely punctured, the punctures on the sides confused, those on the middle of the disk arranged in two or three longitudinal rows, base impressed with a deep fovea; scutellum elongate-trigonate, truncate; elytra much broader than the thorax, lateral margin slightly produced at the shoulder, concave below the latter, above convex, slightly flattened on the back, each elytron with ten regular rows of punctures, fulvous, the apical half of the outer limb broadly edged with piceous, beneath shining piceous; abdomen edged with obscure fulvous; hinder thighs shorter than the abdomen, moderately incrassate; metasternum more swollen than in the preceding species.
I owe the specimen from which the above description is taken to the kindness of M. Javet, after whom I have named the species.
Genus CRIOCERIS, Fab.
Crioceris Salléi.
C. elongata, subcylindrica, viridi-metallica, subnitida, subtus nitida, pilis adpressis tenuibus obsita, æneo vix micans; antennis (basi excepta) nigris; thorace nitido, longitudine latitudini fere æquali, cylindrico, lateribus medio sat constrictis, fortiter transversim sulcato-strigoso, basi fovea parva impresso; elytris crebre fortiter subrugoso-punctatis, utrisque intra marginem unicarinatis, disco exteriore prope medium fovea magna ovato-rotundata impressis.—Long. 4-4½ lin.
Hab. Oaxaca. Collected by M. Sallé.
Antennæ four-fifths of the length of the body, slender, filiform, slightly increasing in thickness towards their apex, third and fourth joints short, equal, obconic, four basal joints shining metallic green, the rest black, opake; elytra parallel, much broader than the thorax, indistinctly impressed transversely below the basilar space (in their punctation they differ entirely from any of the similarly coloured known species, their surface somewhat resembling shagreen); legs slender, subelongate, thighs very slightly incrassate, the hinder pair scarcely reaching to the extremity of the elytra in the male, much shorter in the other sex.
Fam. Eumolpidæ.
Genus TRICHOCHRYSEA.
Corpus oblongum, valde convexum, supra pube suberecta vestitum. Caput latum, thorace fere immersum; faciei margine inferiore valde emarginato, utrinque in dentem brevem robustum producto; epistoma parva,
fere obsoleta; antennis gracilibus, dimidio corporis longioribus, articulo primo incrassato, quinque sequentibus filiformibus, duobus basalibus brevibus, æqualibus, cæteris paullo longioribus, inter se æqualibus, quinque ultimis modice dilatatis, valde compressis; mandibulis robustis, apice dentatis; labro transverso-quadrato; palparum articulo ultimo oblongo-ovato, apice truncato. Thorax transversus, dorso subcylindricus, lateribus declivi-marginatis. Elytra thorace paullo latiora, breviter oblonga. Pedes robusti, tibiis intermediis extrorsum ante apicem emarginatis, unguiculis dentatis. Prosternum transverso-quadratum; antepectoris processu antero-laterali subcuneiformi.
Type, Trichochrysea Mouhoti, Baly.
Distinguished from Calomorpha, Stål, by the toothed clypeus, the more slender antennæ, the broader and more distinctly margined thorax, the more prominent jaws, &c.
Trichochrysea vestita.
T. oblonga, subcylindrica, cupreo-ænea, nitida, subrugoso-punctata, undique pilis griseis suberectis obsita; antennis gracilioribus, basi fulvis extrorsum nigris.—Long. 3½ lin.
Hab. Northern India.
Whole body clothed with long suberect silky pubescence; clypeus produced on either side into a stout tooth; labrum smooth, rufoæneous; antennæ more slender than in the former species, the terminal joints less incrassate; thorax subglobose above, closely punctured, either side, just within the anterior angle, furnished with a slightly raised smooth tubercle.
Trichochrysea Mouhoti.
T. oblonga, subcylindrica, viridi-ænea, aureo-tincta, pube brevi suberecta sparse vestita, antennis extrorsum mandibulisque nigris, supra aurea, vertice thoracisque fascia lata baseos utrinque abbreviata antice emarginata viridi-metallicis; elytris breviter oblongis, fortiter subcrebre punctatis, viridi-limbatis, utrisque fascia ante, vittaque pone medium cæruleis, viridi marginatis.—Long. 4-5 lin.
Var. A. Cyanea, elytrorum vitta infra basin cærulea.
Hab. Cambogia.
Head broad, forehead impressed with a short longitudinal groove, lower portion of face coarsely punctured, irregularly longitudinally strigose-rugose, lower edge deeply excavated, concave, either extremity produced into a stout tooth, epistome very small, and forming only a small transverse lobe, which projects from the middle of the excavated margin; thorax deeply punctured; scutellum transverse, its apex obtuse; elytra more closely punctured, the puncturing on the inner disk indistinctly arranged in striæ.
Genus MERODA, Baly.
Meroda rufipennis.
M. oblongo-ovata, convexa, nitida, nigra; antennis basi fulvis; abdomine elytrisque rufis, his confuse punctato-striatis, striis prope suturam indistincte bifariam dispositis; tibiis posticis quatuor extus ad apicem in spinam brevem dilatatis; femoribus anticis valde incrassatis, subtus in dentem acutum productis.—Long. 2 2/3 lin.
Hab. Amazons.
Much smaller and more ovate than Meroda costata; shorter and more ovate than the following species; antennæ slender, two-thirds the length of the body, fourth joint shorter than the two preceding united, three basal joints, together with the labrum and trophi, pale fulvous; abdomen and elytra bright rufous, the puncturing on the latter distinct, deeply impressed.
Meroda fulva.
M. elongato-ovata, convexa, obscure fulva, nitida; elytris confuse punctato-striatis, striis prope suturam indistincte bifariam dispositis; femoribus anticis valde incrassatis, subtus in dentem acutum productis.—Long. 2¾ lin.
Hab. Amazons. Collected by H. W. Bates, Esq.
Obscure shining fulvous; antennæ slender, longer than the body, three or four terminal joints stained towards their apex with piceous, fourth joint nearly equal in length to the second and third united; thorax subremotely punctured, sides nearly straight and subparallel behind, rounded in front; elytra finely, but distinctly, punctured.
Genus PSEUDOCOLASPIS, Lap.
Pseudocolaspis Murrayi.
P. breviter subcuneiformis, nitido-viridi-ænea, parce tenuiter pubescens; pedibus viridi-aureis, elytris viridi-cæruleis, antennis (basi excepta) nigris.—Long. 6 lin.
Hab. Old Calabar.
Head deeply punctured, longitudinally strigose on the forehead, lower portion of face concave, bright golden, apex of jaws black; epistoma not separated from the face; thorax subconic, more quickly narrowed at the apex, subcylindrical above, lateral borders distinct, surface somewhat closely subaciculate punctate, brassy-green, with a slight golden reflexion on the sides of the disk; scutellum semiovate, its apex acute; elytra sparingly clothed with very fine and short erect hairs, broader than the thorax at the base, humeral callus prominent, sides narrowed from the base to the apex, the latter acutely rounded, surface sparingly covered with very short and fine suberect hairs, rather less closely but more deeply subaciculate punctate, interspaces obsoletely strigose;
VOL. I. P
body beneath covered with coarse adpressed hairs; anterior femora armed beneath with a stout spine.
Fam. Chrysomelidæ.
Genus CERALCES, Gerst.
Pseudomela, Baly.
Ceralces ornata.
C. ovata, valde convexa, fulva, nitida; parapleuris, pedibus, antennis (basi excepta), thoracis vitta lata antice posticeque abbreviata maculaque utrinque, elytrisque nigris, his subcrebre punctatis, utrisque margine exteriore apice valde dilatato, plagaque transversa magna discoidali margine plerumque adfixa, fulvis; scutello piceo.—Long. 3 lin.
Hab. Lake N'Gami.
Antennæ robust, shorter than half the body, subincrassate, three or four basal joints fulvous; head and thorax finely punctured; scutellum broad, more or less stained with piceous; elytra scarcely broader than the thorax, deeply punctured, the punctures on the inner disk indistinctly arranged in numerous longitudinal striæ.
Fam. Gallerucidæ.
Genus DIAMPHIDIA, Gerst.
Cladocera, Hope.
The insects known and described by Hope, Gerstaecker, and others, under the above generic names, appear to form a single natural genus, the species varying greatly in the degree of serration or even flabellation of the antennæ, but agreeing in all their other characters. I would divide the genus into three sections, formed on the degree of variation of those organs.
Sectio I. Antennis flabellatis in utroque sexu.
II. Antennis serratis aut subserratis in uno aut utroque sexu.
III. Antennis simplicibus.
Cladocera of Hope having been already used, Gerstaecker's name, Diamphidia, must be adopted; but from these authors having founded their genera on the extreme states of the antennæ, either term is characteristic only of a certain number of species in the genus.
Diamphidia Bohemani.
D. oblonga, convexa, fusco-alba; pedibus, antennis, verticis macula utrinque, thoracis maculis quinque scutelloque nigris; elytris subcrebre punctatis, utrisque margine apicali, macula humerali, altera subapicali fasciisque duabus maculæformibus (harum prima infra basin (maculis
4) flexuosa, secunda pone medium (maculis 5) arcuata, positis), nigris; subtus obscurior, abdominis segmentorum macula utrinque parapleurisque piceis.
Mas. Antennis valde flabellatis.
Fœm. Antennis modice flabellatis.
Long. 5–6½ lin.
Hab. Port Natal.
Thorax with its apical margin bisinuate, the side border rounded behind, narrowed and sinuate in front; the anterior angles produced, subacute; upper surface with five large black spots placed (2-3) on the disk, and in addition two or three others, smaller and punctiform (sometimes obsolete), on either side, close to the lateral and basal margins; the first of the maculæform fasciæ on the elytra is placed nearer the base than in D. pectinicornis, the second (situated immediately behind the middle) is regularly curved, instead of being flexuose as in the above-named insect, and the subapical and submarginal patch occupies the place of three much smaller spots, which form, in the old species, a transverse subapical band: legs entirely black, with the exception of a narrow space on the upper and lower edges of the hinder femora.
In addition to the different arrangement of the black markings on the elytra, as indicated above, this species may be separated from D. pectinicornis (Oliv.) by the form of its thorax; in D. pectinicornis the anterior margin is nearly truncate, the sides are more regularly rounded, and the anterior angles, although distinct, are not produced.
Diamphidia Bohemani belongs to the 1st section.
Diamphidia ornata. (Plate XII. fig. 3.)
D. oblonga, crassa, valde convexa, fulva, subnitida; capitis vertice vittaque inter oculos, antennis, scutello, parapleuris, abdominis segmenti penultimi macula utrinque pedibusque (femoribus basi exceptis) nigris; thorace transverso, utrinque foveolato, fascia lata pone medium, antice trilobata, maculisque rotundatis quatuor ante medium transversim positis, his singulis ramulo brevi ad fasciam connexis, nigris; elytris pallide fusco-violaceis, utrisque limbo laterali maculis duabus, prima basi prope scutellum, secunda infra humerum, fasciisque submaculari-formibus duabus, una prope medium, altera ante apicem positis, flavis, nigro-marginatis.—Long. 5 lin.
Hab. Lake N'Gami.
Oblong, robust, slightly broader behind; antennæ serrate; eyes black; thorax twice broader than long, sides slightly rounded, posterior angles broadly rounded, surface irregularly punctured, the puncturing scattered on the disk, base impressed with a deep fovea, sides with a broad shallow excavation, in the middle of which is a deeper impression; scutellum trigonate, its apex truncate, surface smooth, impunc-
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tate; elytra closely and deeply punctured; pygidium black, marked in the middle with a broad fulvous vitta; legs and under surface of the body clothed with adpressed hairs; abdominal segments thickened.
This species belongs to the 2nd section of the genus.
Genus PSEUDODERA.
Corpus elongatum, convexum. Caput exsertum, dorso pone oculos constrictum, facie sat declive, inter oculos in carinam latam dorso canaliculatam, cujus ad latera antennæ insertæ sunt, producto; antennis robustis, corporis longitudini fere æqualibus, apicem versus paullo angustatis, articulis 1mo curvato, basi ad apicem incrassato, 2do brevi, 3tio-10mo singulis ad apicem incrassatis; labro transverso; mandibulis arcuatis, apice dentatis; mento quadrato; ligula crassa, obtusa; palpis maxillaribus articulo primo parvo, secundo paullo elongato, subclavato, ultimo breviter ovato, acuto; oculis ovato-rotundatis, prominulis. Thorax transverso-quadratus, dorso valde convexus, ante basin transversim sulcatus, sulco utrinque linea impressa longitudinali brevi terminato. Elytra oblonga, bifariam striato-punetata. Pedes robusti, antici subelongati, cæteri longitudine perparum paullo decrescentes; femoribus paullo, posterioribus evidentius incrassatis; tibiis simplicibus, dorso noncanaliculatis, apice paullo incrassatis; tarsis tibiarum apici insertis, articulo basali duobus sequentibus longitudine fere æquali, unguiculis appendiculatis. Prosternum angustatum, distinctum.
Type Pseudodera xanthospila, Baly.
Very closely allied to Crepidodera, but divided from that genus by the tapering antennæ and by the constriction of the upper surface of its neck. The transverse groove also at the base of the thorax terminates just within the short longitudinal grooves, not being continuous with them as in Crepidodera.
Pseudodera xanthospila.
P. elongata, modice convexa, subparallela, postice attenuata, rufo-fulva, nitida; oculis, antennis, tibiis tarsisque nigris; elytris gemellato-punc-tato-striatis, utrisque plaga submarginali, ante apicem posita, pallide flava.—Long. 3½-4½ lin.
Hab. Northern China.
Antennæ inserted between the eyes on an elevated space, the centre of which is traversed by a longitudinal groove: thorax smooth, impunctate, convex, basal groove deeply impressed, slightly angular, and having a shallow longitudinal impression running upwards on the disk from its apex; it is terminated at either end by a short deep longitudinal groove: elytra not wider than the thorax, parallel, narrowed near the apex, their surface smooth and shining; disk of each impressed with eleven rows of distinct punctures, the first abbreviated, the second
running parallel to the suture, the eleventh sulcate and placed on the lateral border, the others approximating in pairs, and obsolete towards the apex of the elytron; basilar space slightly raised, bounded by a shallow depression.
Genus PHRYNOCEPHA. (Plate XI. fig. 8e, side view of head, ♂.)
Corpus subelongatum, convexum; antennis robustis, apicem versus attenuatis, articulo primo incrassato, secundo brevi, obtrigono, tertio modice elongato, subclavato; oculis parvis, vix prominulis, ovatis; labro brevi transverso; mandibulis apice tridentatis; mento subquadrato; ligula apice angulato, obtuso; palpis maxillaribus articulo primo parvo, duobus sequentibus subclavatis, inter se æqualibus, ultimo subconico, labialibus articulo ultimo obovato, leniter curvato, apice subacuto. Thorax transversus. Scutellum trigonatum. Elytra oblonga, anguste marginata, apice rotundata. Pedes robusti, mediocres; coxis anticis non contiguis; femoribus (præsertim posticis) incrassatis, quatuor anticis paullo compressis; tarsorum articulo basali duobus sequentibus longitudine fere æquali, unguiculis basi appendiculatis. Prosternum integrum, retrorsum ad mesosternum productum.
Mas. Caput crassum, valde exsertum, porrectum, subquadratum, facie paullo declive; antennis incrassatis, articulis paullo compressis; femoribus magis incrassatis, tarsorum articulo basali dilatato, obovato, apice truncato.
Fœm. Caput minus exsertum, deflexum, subtrigonatum.
Type, Phrynocepha pulchella, Baly.
The present genus, which belongs to the Anisopodous section of the family, must be placed near Crepidodera,—the form of the antennæ, the peculiar shape of the head in the male, and the irregularly punctured elytra separating it from that genus.
Phrynocepha pulchella. (Plate XI. fig. 8.)
P. subelongata, testacea, nitida; mandibularum apice, antennis (basi fulva excepta), abdomine scutelloque nigris; tarsis piceis; elytris anguste marginatis, crebre tenuiter punctatis, cæruleis.—Long. 4–4½ lin.
Hab. Mexico.
Subelongate, convex; head porrect, the eyes being placed at a considerable distance from the edge of the thorax, subquadrate, face oblique; vertex irregularly punctured; epistome narrow, transverse, bounded above by a slightly curved elevated ridge, from the centre of which a perpendicular raised line runs upwards on the face, passing between the antennæ, and terminating a short distance above them in a slightly elevated, smooth and shining bilobed space; eyes black: thorax more than a third broader than long, sides narrowly margined; nearly straight and parallel behind, narrowed and obliquely rounded
in front; posterior angles produced into a small acute tooth; upper surface moderately convex, minutely punctured, base impressed by a broad ill-defined transverse groove, disk impressed on either side by a large shallow fovea: scutellum triangular, its apex obtuse: elytra broader than the thorax, oblong-ovate, their outer edge furnished with a distinct, slightly reflexed border; surface subnitidous, covered with minute punctures, their interspaces very finely rugose, giving the whole surface a granular appearance; on the disk of each elytron are three or four indistinct longitudinal costæ: abdomen black, covered with coarse adpressed pale-fulvous hairs.
Genus DORYXENA.
(Plate XI. fig. 10, under surface of D. grossa, Hope.)
Corpus oblongum, convexum. Caput valde deflexum, facie fere perpendiculare; antennis robustis, filiformibus, articulo primo curvato, basi gracili, hinc ad apicem incrassato, secundo brevi, tertio illo duplo longiore, quarto tertio paullo longiore; mandibulis validis; labro transverso; palpis maxillaribus articulo ultimo obovato, apice conico; mento transverso-quadrato; ligula subquadrata, basi angustata; oculis prominulis, integris. Thorax transversus, dorso utrinque impressus, lateribus angulatis. Elytra thorace latiora, apicem versus paullo ampliata, apice rotundata, marginata. Pedes robusti, coxis anticis fere contiguis, tarsorum articulo basali duobus sequentibus longitudine fere æquali, unguiculis subtus prope medium dente valido armatis. Prosternum breve, inter coxas anticas ad medium extensum. Metasternum inter coxas intermedias in processum validum protensum.
Type, Galleruca grossa, Hope.
The produced metasternum separates this genus from Galleruca and its allies.
Genus LEPTARTHRA.
Corpus oblongo-ovatum, postice ampliatum. Caput thoraci ad oculorum marginem posteriorem insertum; antennis gracilibus, corporis longitudine fere æqualibus, filiformibus, sæpe ad apicem angustatis, articulo primo curvato, a basi ad apicem incrassato, secundo brevi, tertio illo plus duplo longiore, quarto duobus præcedentibus æquali; labro transverso; mandibulis apice dentatis; palpis maxillaribus articulo primo parvo, secundo paullo elongato, subclavato, tertio paullo incrassato, subpyriformi, ultimo conico, obtuso; mento transverso; oculis prominulis, ovatis. Thorax transversus, a basi ad apicem angustatus, apice concavo, angulis anticis antrorsum productis. Scutellum subtrigonatum, apice rotundatum. Elytra oblonga, apicem versus perparum ampliata, apice conjunctim late rotundata, valde convexa. Pedes graciles, elongati; procoxis subcontiguis, prosterno angustatissimo divisis, mesocoxis magis separatis, unguiculis unidentatis.
Type, Leptarthra abdominalis, Baly.
The insects composing the genus Leptarthra have hitherto been placed in Cœlomera; the resemblance, however, is only external, the structure of their antennæ, together with all their other characters, differing so completely as to render it unnecessary to point out the distinctive marks here.
Leptarthra abdominalis.
L. ovata, postice paullo ampliata, convexa, nitida, obscure viridi-metallica, purpureo-micans; abdomine elytrisque rufo-testaceis, his fortiter subcrebre punctatis, antennis scutelloque nigris.—Long.4½-5½ lin.
Hab. Northern India.
Antennæ slender, equal in length to the body; thorax one-half broader than long, sides nearly straight and parallel, narrowed in front, anterior angles prominent, their apex obtuse, upper surface smooth and shining, grooved transversely just behind the anterior border, the hinder disk impressed with three large deep circular foveæ arranged transversely in a gentle curve; scutellum semiovate; elytra deeply punctured, the disk of each with two or more nearly obsolete longitudinal vittæ; anal segment of abdomen in the male impressed by a shallow fovea.
Leptarthra Dohrnii.
L. oblonga, postice paullo ampliata, convexa, nitida, obscure viridi-metallica; elytris subfortiter striato-punctatis, striis prope suturam et ad latera sæpe confusis, punctis in striis inordinatim dispositis.—Long. 6-7 lin.
Hab. Northern India.
Antennæ slender, equal in length to the body; thorax at the base nearly twice broader than long, sides nearly straight, narrowed from their base to the apex, the anterior angles prominent, their apex subacute, upper surface sculptured nearly as in the preceding species, the transverse groove in front more deeply impressed, strongly sinuate in the middle, and sending a short longitudinal groove backwards to the central fovea; scutellum rather narrower than in Leptarthra abdominalis; surface of the elytra punctate-striate, each stria being formed of several irregular rows of punctures, the outer striæ and those near the suture more confused and often quite lost, interspaces impressed with scattered punctures which vary both in number and depth, sometimes being as deep as those forming the striæ themselves; on the suture, a short distance below the scutellum, is a broad shallow depression; anal segment of abdomen in the male impressed by a deep semiovate fovea.
Genus PALPOXENA.
Corpus subelongatum. Caput exsertum; antennis gracilibus, filiformibus, corporis longitudine, articulo primo a basi ad apicem breviter incrassato, secundo brevissimo, tertio primo paullo longiore; labro transverso;
mandibulis apice dentatis; palpis maxillaribus paullo elongatis, articulo primo brevi, secundo gracili, a basi ad apicem incrassato, tertio mare (Plate XI. fig. 7f) valde inflato, fere globoso, fœmina modice aut vix ampliato, obovato, ultimo mare apice articuli præcedentis immerso, obtuso, fœmina exserto; mento transverso-quadrato; ligula crassa, apice obtusa; palpis labialibus parvis, articulo ultimo subulato; oculis magnis, prominentibus, subrotundatis. Thorax transverso-quadratus. Scutellum subtrigonatum. Elytra oblonga, modice convexa. Pedes graciles, subelongati; procoxis perpendicularibus, contiguis; mesocoxis sat magnis, subcontiguis; tarsis gracilibus, articulo primo sequentibus longitudine fere æquali, unguiculis appendiculatis.
Type, Palpoxena lœta, Baly.
The large prominent eyes and the dilated third joint of the maxillary palpi in the male sex will distinguish Palpoxena from any hitherto described genus of the family.
Palpoxena lœta. (Plate XI. fig. 7.)
P. oblongo-elongata, modice convexa, fulva, nitida; elytris purpureis, apice anguste rufo-fulvis.
Mas. œdeagus elongatus, acute angulatus, modice curvatus, ante apicem sinuatus, apice ipso deflexo, acuto, lateribus ultra medium paullo dilatatis, hinc ad apicem angustatis, leniter sinuatis.—Long. 4½ lin.
Var. A. Corpore supra (antennis exceptis) purpureo.
Hab. Malacca, Borneo. Collected by Mr. Wallace.
Head smooth, face subquadrate, nearly the whole surface below the antennæ covered by a large, smooth, slightly depressed triangular space, bounded on the sides by a slightly raised margin, the lower portion of the space traversed by a deep transverse depression, whilst its apex extends upwards between the antennæ, terminating immediately above the latter in a deep fovea; clypeus nearly obsolete, its place being occupied by the thickened lower edge of the triangular space; antennæ slender, pale fulvous, terminal joint in the male flexuose, acute; thorax narrowly margined, sides slightly produced and rounded in front, narrowed and sinuate behind, anterior angles produced laterally into an obtuse tooth, the posterior slightly produced, subacute, above moderately convex, minutely but not closely punctured, impressed behind the middle of the disk by a broad transverse groove formed by two large transverse foveæ placed side by side; scutellum trigonate, its apex obtuse; elytra oblong, much broader than the thorax, convex, transversely depressed below the base, basilar space on each elytron distinctly elevated, the raised portion being bounded externally by a longitudinal depression within the humeral callus, and beneath by the transverse depression, surface finely and subremotely punctured, interspaces, together with the general surface of the thorax, minutely granulose-punctate.
Genus METALEPTA.
Corpus elongatum. Caput exsertum, modice porrectum; antennis filiformibus, modice robustis, articulo basali curvato, a basi ad apicem incrassato, secundo primo dimidio breviore, tertio paullo elongato; mandibulis robustis, apice dentatis; palpis maxillaribus articulo ultimo conico; mento brevi; ligula trigona; oculis modice prominulis, subrotundatis, integris. Thorax transversus. Scutellum transversum, semirotundatum vel obsolete trigonatum. Elytra fœminæ abbreviata, apice divaricata. Abdomen fœminæ ultra elytra valde extensum. Pedes elongati, unguiculis ante apicem dentatis. Prosternum gracile, postice abbreviatum. Metasternum (Plate XI. fig. 9) brevissimum.
Type, Metalepta tuberculata, Baly.
Although unwilling to found a genus on a single sex (and that the female), I consider, in the present instance, the extremely short metasternum quite sufficient to separate Metalepta from all allied generic forms.
Metalepta tuberculata. (Plate XI. fig. 9.)
M. elongata, obscure cuprea, subnitida; antennis pedibusque piceis, cupreo vix micantibus; capite thoraceque rugosis, hoc quadrituberculato; elytris abbreviatis, concavis, apice divaricatis, utrisque extrorsum reflexo-marginatis margine exteriori bisinuatis; scutello late transverso, obtuse rotundato.—Long. 5–6 lin.
Hab. Peru.
Head rugose; antennæ moderately robust, filiform, six basal joints pale, the five others dark piceous; thorax nearly twice broader than long, sides rounded, armed at each angle with a smooth prominent round tubercle, upper surface transversely excavated across the middle, the surface rugose-punctate, transversely strigose, middle of the disk impressed at the base with a large shallow fovea; elytra granulose, their surface impressed with numerous shallow circular pits, which are more crowded towards the apex; legs pale piceous, third joint of tarsi and the claws darker.
Metalepta De Gandii.
M. elongata, obscure cuprea, nitida; abdominis inflati dorso, corporeque subtus, piceis, cupreo vix micantibus; capite thoraceque rugosis, hoc disco irregulariter excavato, lateribus a basin ad paullo ante medium ampliato-rotundatis, leniter reflexis, hinc ad apicem rotundato-emarginatis, angulis singulis in dentem brevem subacutum productis; elytris abbreviatis, concavis, reflexo-marginatis, rugosis, apice divaricatis, extus flexuosis; scutello lato, obsolete trigonato, lateribus rotundato, apice obtuso.—Long. 5½ lin.
Hab. Peru.
This species differs from the preceding in the absence of tubercles on
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the thorax. Head rugose, vertex with two acute tubercles placed transversely above the eyes; antennæ about three-fourths the length of the body (including the dilated abdomen); thorax strongly rugose, deeply and irregularly excavated, and here and there impressed with deep punctures, dilated portions of the sides slightly sinuate at their base, basal margin notched in the middle, causing it to appear bilobed; elytra concave, rugose-punctate, their outer border sinuate; abdomen smooth, its sides non-tuberculate.
Genus METACYCLA.
Corpus oblongum. Caput exsertum, facie trigona; antennis gracilibus, filiformibus, maris corporis longitudini æqualibus, articulo primo paullo incrassato, secundo brevi, tertio primi longitudini vix æquali, quarto longiore, reliquisque longioribus inter se æqualibus aut perparum leniter decrescentibus; palpis maxillaribus articulo ultimo conico; mento transverso. Thorax transversus, lateribus fere rectis. Scutellum trigonum. Elytra thorace latiora, oblonga aut ovata. Pedes subgraciles, subelongati; coxis anticis contiguis, unguiculis appendiculatis. Abdomen fœminœ inflatum, ultra elytrorum marginem valde distentum. Metasternum breve.
Type, Metacycla Salléi, Baly.
Closely allied to the preceding genus, but separated by the slender antennæ, the greater development of the metasternum in the female (this part, although short, being considerably longer than in Metalepta), and the appendiculated claws.
Metacycla Salléi.
M. (mas) subelongata, modice convexa, nigro-cærulea, nitida; elytris crebre punctatis, obscure cæruleis; thorace nitido.
M. (fœm.) abdomine ultra elytra valde superante, ovato-rotundato, lurido-marginato.—Long. mas 2¾, fœm. 4 lin.
Hab. Mexico.
Antennæ equal in length to the body in the male; thorax transversely convex, sides slightly rounded, narrowed from the middle to the base, anterior angles produced into an obtuse tooth, surface finely but not closely punctured; scutellum smooth, trigonate; elytra much broader than the thorax, oblong, obtusely rounded at the apex, the sutural angle rounded, convex, flattened and slightly depressed on the suture in front, surface less closely and coarsely punctured than in the following species; elytra in the female broader and shorter, each elytron being narrowly ovate, with the sutural margin rather straighter than the other; on the disk of each are four or five indistinct vittæ; abdomen very convex, impressed on either side within the lateral border with a row of large deep foveæ, the margin itself obscure rufofulvous.
