OCR Text |
Show 738 MR. M . JACOBY ON THE U*' Genus ARGOPISTES, Motsch. ARGOPISTES UNICOLOR, sp. nov. Rotundate, convex, entirely black above; basal joints of the antennae, the knees and the tarsi fulvous ; thorax closely punctured ; elytra punctate-striate, the interstices finely punctured. Length 1 line. Head with a few punctures near the inner margin of the eyes. Antenna? half the length of the body, the third joint very small, the first three fulvous below, the others black, apex of the terminal joint also fulvous. Thorax transverse, widened at the middle, the basal margin sinuate at each side, the sides straight, surface very finely and closely punctured. Elytra wider than the thorax, slightly narrowed towards the apices, the latter rounded ; surface punctate-striate, the stria? rather distantly placed, and the punctures larger and more distinct than those between the rows, which are closely placed; tarsi flavous. Yuyama. This species cannot be considered a variety of A. biplagiatus, Motsch., on account of the quite different elytral punctuation, which is arranged in distant rows with the interstices more finely punctured. Motschulsky has described or mentioned a species (A. fiavitarsis) which seems very closely allied to the present insect in colour ; but as Motschulsky describes the antennae as testaceous and the legs as brownish, and says nothing at all about the punctuation of the upper surface, it is impossible to come to a definite conclusion as to the possible identity of this species and A. unicolor. The author of the genus Argopistes has made no mention as to the state of the coxal cavities nor the shape of the prosternum and other parts so essential in the classification of the Halticidae. In A. biplagiatus the prosternum is of an elongate and at the same time rather broad shape, longitudinally channelled and leaving the coxal cavities open. The mesosternum, as in Argopus, is extremely short and scarcely visible ; the first abdominal segment is furnished with a longitudinal ridge at each side. The posterior femora are very strongly developed, almost subhemispherical, their tibia? short, robust, and distinctly widened near the apex, the latter produced in an acute point and furnished at the sides with a distinct spine ; the first joint of the posterior tarsi is as long as or longer than half the tibiae. .ARGOPISTES UNDECIMMACULATA, sp. nov. Piceous below; antennae, tibia?, and tarsi testaceous; above fulvous, closely punctured ; elytra with four spots before, five behind the middle, and two small spots at the apices, placed transversely, black. Length 1^ line. Head with a few punctures and a deep transverse groove between the eyes ; clypeus in shape of a triangular strongly raised rid^e Antenna? half the length of the body, third and fourth joints equal,' |