| OCR Text |
Show 1887.] PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA OF CEYLON. 75 near the apices ; claws appendiculate ; femora with a very minute tooth ; prosternuni broader than long, strongly punctured. Variable in size and colour and allied in regard to the latter to Nodostoma jansoni, Baly, and N. tibiale ; the distinct elytral depression will separate the species from the former, and the very closely punctured thorax from the last-named species. It is quite possible that Noda viridianea, Schonh., refers to the present species. RHYPARIDA L^EVICOLLIS, sp. nov. Obscure fulvous ; eyes closely approached ; head and thorax impunctate ; elytra with a subbasilar depression, strongly punctate-striate ; femora dilated into a strong triangular tooth. Length 2 lines. Head impunctate; eyes very large, the space dividing them narrower than their diameter, their inner margin deeply notched ; epistome separated from the front by a few punctures only. Antennae nearly as long as the body, fulvous, the fourth joint longer than the third, this longer than the second joint, the following slightly thickened, the apices of the joints stained with fuscous. Thorax transverse, the sides rounded, the angles distinct, the surface entirely impunctate or with a few microscopically fine punctures. Elytra with a distinct depression below the base, the latter somewhat swollen, the surface deeply punctate-striate at the anterior portion, more finely punctured towards the apices; the anterior and posterior femora dilated into a strong triangular tooth, the intermediate femora minutely dentate ; claws bifid. Galle. R. lavicollis may be recognized by the large and closely approached eyes and the impunctate thorax, in connection with the strongly dentate femora; the elytra have the basal portion more distantly punctured than the rest of the surface, and the shoulders are entirely devoid of punctuation, but bounded within by a deep line of closely approached punctures, the latter being more widely placed below the elytral depression ; the general colour varies from pale to dark fulvous, the sides and the suture being sometimes stained with piceous. No species of Rhyparida has, to m y knowledge, hitherto been recorded from Ceylon. RHYPARIDA QUINQUEMACULATA, sp. nov. (Plate X. fig. 3.) Rufous ; the last eight joints of the antennae and the legs black ; thorax sparingly and finely punctured; elytra regularly punctate-striate, a sutural spot at the middle, another at the shoulder, and a third near the apex of each elytron black ; femora toothed. Length 2 lines. Head with a deep fovea at the vertex, not visibly punctured ; the epistome separated from the face by a slight transverse depression. Antennse half the length of the body, black, the three lower joints fulvous, the third and fourth joints slender, of equal length, the following joints slightly depressed and shorter. Thorax transversely convex, about three times as broad as long, the sides rounded ; the |
