OCR Text |
Show 1897.] PHYTOPHAGOUS C O L E O P T E R A O P AFRICA. 569 punctured; thorax nearly impunctate; elytra testaceous, closely and finely punctured. Length 1^ line. Head fulvous, finely punctured at the vertex, transversely grooved between the eyes, the frontal tubercles narrowly transverse ; clypeus broad, distinctly raised between the antennae, the latter extending nearly to the end of the elytra, fuscous, the lower three joints flavous, the third joint scarcely longer than the second, fourth and following joints elongate, slender; thorax twice as broad as long, the sides distinctly narrowed at the base, rounded before the middle, anterior angles thickened, posterior ones rather oblique, surface extremely finely punctured, testaceous or flavous ; scutellum black ; elytra very finely and closely punctured, flavous ; legs darker; tibiae mucronate, the first joint of the posterior tarsi longer than the following joints together ; breast and abdomen black, the last segment of the latter more or less flavous. At once distinguished by the black scutellum and underside. MALACOSOMA DONKIERI, n. sp. Below black, above obscure testaceous, as well as the antennae and the legs ; head impunctate ; thorax and elytra closely and strongly punctured. Length 1\ line. Head impunctate at the vertex, the latter with a slight aeneous gloss, frontal tubercles strongly transverse, lower portion of face testaceous ; clypeus in shape of a triangular strongly raised ridge; antennae extending to the middle of the elytra, pale fulvous, the basal joint elongate, the second scarcely shorter than the third joint, the following joints about as long as the third, each widened towards the apex ; thorax about one-half broader than long, the sides rounded at the middle, the angles not prominent, the surface rather depressed at the sides, strongly and closely punctured throughout, obscure testaceous, stained with some piceous markings ; elytra of the same colour, the suture rather darker, the surface punctured like the thorax: underside nearly black; legs testaceous, the tibiae with a very small spine ; prosternum narrowly convex; the anterior coxal cavities open. This small species might be compared to M. basimarginata, Jac, from Zanzibar, which it resembles somewhat in colour, but differs entirely from that species and most of its allies by the strong punctuation of the thorax and the elytra. MALACOSOMA CAPITATUM, n. sp. Head and tbe underside piceous; antennae black, the basal joints flavous ; thorax subquadrate, testaceous, impunctate ; elytra extremely finely and rather closely punctured, testaceous, shining. Length 2 lines. Head impunctate, piceous, the frontal elevations transverse, rather strongly raised ; the clypeus very broad at its upper portion, its anterior margin straight; labrum pale; the antennae rather |