OCR Text |
Show 1879.] MR. M. JACOBY ON NEW' COLEOPTERA. 441 margins, an oblique transverse band before, another more horizontal band behind the middle, fuscous or ferruginous. Length 4\ lines. Var. a. The anterior transverse band of the elytra curved in form of a crescent. Var. b. The dark colour of the elytra predominating, so as to surround three flavous patches on each elytron. Var. c. Elytra fuscous, with eight flavous spots. Var. d. Elytra fuscous, with two large flavous patches. Head smooth, impunctate, with a large flavous patch in front, as well as two small spots below the antennae of the same colour. Antennae robust, black ; all the joints, with the exception of the second one, which is very small, subequal. Thorax transversely convex, laterally narrowly marginate; the anterior angles not toothed, but acutely produced almost to the end of the eyes, their apex much thickened ; surface extremely finely punctate, almost smooth ; scutellum small, piceous; elytra also nearly impunctate, slightly narrowed at the base, shining flavous ; tbe suture, to a greater or smaller extent, the external margin, the base more or less, and two transverse bands (one oblique before the middle, the second behind) fuscous. In var. a the anterior band does not touch the suture, but curves down and outwards, so as to form a crescent. In the other varieties the dark colour predominates in one case to an extent so as to surround four flavous patches on each elytron, in another variety leaving only two large flavous spots, of which one is situated in the middle near the lateral margin, the other near the apex. Underside and legs black or dark brown, covered with yellowish pubescence; claw-joint moderately thickened. Hab. Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil; var. d, Mexico. This species bears a close resemblance to H. 8-gultata, Fab. ; but the larger size, the colour of the transverse bands, and the absence of the small shoulder-spot will distinguish it from that species. It is also known in collections, I believe, under the M S . name of insolita, Chev. ; 6-signata, Dej. 6. HoMOPHOSTA ALBOFASCIATA, Sp. nOV. Ovate, elongate, black, shining; a frontal patch, two spots below the antennae, thorax and abdomen flavous testaceous or reddish brown. Elytra metallic violaceous blue or black; a slightly curved transverse band across the middle, and a transverse subquadrate patch near the apex of each elytron, white. Length 3 lines. Head bluish black, vertex impunctate, shining, a row of rather deep punctures round the orbit of the eyes, a transverse spot between the latter testaceous; antennae rather short, black, base of the second joint testaceous. Thorax with the lateral margins slightly sinuate, the anterior angles produced and thickened, and the posterior margin distinctly and obliquely sinuate at each side ; surface impunctate; scutellum black, smooth; elytra convex, mar- |