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Show 224 MR. M. JACOBY ON PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA [Mar. 6, new genus of Eumolpide under this name from the West Coast of Africa. In reading carefully his descriptions of the two species he describes, I can come to no other conclusion than that the supposed new genus is simply a Colasposoma, and his species D. passeti and D. varicolor identical with Colasposoma pradieri Lefev. and C. fair-mairei Lefev. respectively. M. Fairmaire compares bis genus with Sgbriacus, to which the species mentioned above bear some superficial resemblance; but as the author makes no mention of the principal characters of his genus, that is the shape of the anterior thoracic episternum and the structure of the tibiae or claws, one cannot even tell to which section Dasychlorus may belong. I may be wrong in m y surmise regarding the present genus. In the descriptions of Fairmaire of his two species there is, however, absolutely nothing to distinguish it from Colasposoma, and it is certainly remarkable that when describing a new genus of one of the most difficult sections of the Phytophaga an experienced author should not even mention the most important characters without which every clue to its proper place is lost. Colasposoma pradieri (the largest species of the genus) and C.fairmairei have both been described by Lefevre as far back as 1877, and are well-known West African species. MACETES CLYPEATA, sp. n. Obscure cupreous, clothed with white and fulvous pubescence, antennae and legs dark fulvous ; clypeus deeply emarginate ; head and thorax very finely and closely punctured, metallic greenish ; elytra of the same colour and sculpture, finely pubescent. Length 7 millim. Of broadly ovate, subquadrate shape ; of a dark greenish-aeneous colour above, and clothed with longish white and brown pubescence ; the head closely and finely punctured, with a central groove ; the clypeus very deeply and subtriangularly emarginate; the labrum cupreous, the palpi fulvous; the antennae robust, entirely fulvous, the basal joint cupreous above; thorax nearly twice as broad as long, subcylindrical, extremely closely and rather finely punctured and pubescent; scutellum broader than long, sub-pentagonal, finely punctured and pubescent; elytra much wider at the base than the thorax, strongly narrowed posteriorly, depressed, with another very feeble depression below the base; below cupreous, the femora fulvous with metallic gloss, clothed with dense white pubescence ; the tibiae and tarsi more or less fulvous, the anterior and posterior femora with a stout tooth, the others unarmed. Hab. Dunbrody, Port Elizabeth, S. Africa (Rev. J. O'Neil). Of this species I received a single specimen from the Rev. J. O'Neil: it is perhaps nearest allied to 31. albicans Chap. The species is well distinguished by the deeply emarginate clypeus, the fine and close punctation of its upper surface, and the colour of the pubescence, which is white and brown above, but purely white only below. Chapuis's species is unrecognizable, his description being too brief. |