OCR Text |
Show 1902.] OF AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 175 produced at middle ; elytra metallic blue or greenish, finely punctured in rows ; abdomen black. Length 4g millim. Head impunctate, the frontal tubercles entirely obsolete, the carina short, pyriform ; eyes large, nearly entire; antennae extending to about the middle of the elytra, black, the lower four joints ferruginous, the third and fourth joints equal, but little longer than the second joint; thorax twice as broad as long, the sides very feebly rounded, narrowly marginate, the anterior angles oblique, not produced, the basal margin rounded and produced at the middle, the basal sulcus straight and moderately deep, the perpendicular grooves very deep, the surface impunctate, ferruginous ; scutellum fulvous ; elytra convex, subcylindrical, finely punctured in closely approached rather regular rows, distinct to the apex ; breast and legs ferruginous; abdomen black. Hab. Bolivia. In this species the basal margin of the thorax has a distinct round lobe at the middle, differing in this respect from most of the other species of the genus : this character alone would scarcely justify the creation of another genus, but it will assist in the recognition of the species, in connection with the system of coloration and the black abdomen. LACTICA FUNEREA, sp. n. Entirely dark violaceous, the last five joints of the antennae fulvous; thorax transverse, impunctate, the basal sulcus deep ; elytra purplish-violaceous, extremely finely punctured. Length 6 millim. Elongate, convex, the head impunctate, frontal elevations entirely obsolete ; eyes not very large ; clypeus thickened, wedge-shaped, carina narrow; antennae nearly reaching the end of the elytra, black, the last five joints fulvous, the second half the length of the third joint; thorax strongly transverse, more than twice as broad as long, the sides perfectly straight, narrowly margined, the anterior angles oblique, the disc entirely impunctate, blackish-violaceous, the basal sulcus and the perpendicular grooves very deep ; elytra metallic purplish-violaceous, very finely punctured when seen under a strong lens; below and the legs nearly black. Hab. Yurimaguas, Peru. Of this very distinct species, two specimens are in my collection. LACTICA COSTATIPENNIS, sp. n. (Plate XX. fig. 1.) Flavous, the antennae (the basal joints excepted) and the tibiae and tarsi black; thorax impunctate, the basal sulcus deep ; elytra bright green, finely rugosely punctate, the sides of each with an acute costa. Length 6 millim. Head flat and impunctate, the frontal elevations obsolete |