| OCR Text |
Show 280 MR. M. JACOBY ON COLEOPTERA [May 21, SPARNUS MINUTUS, n. sp. Ovate, convex, glabrous ; piceous or black; the base of the antennae and the anterior legs pale testaceous; head and thorax distinctly punctured ; elytra obsoletely punctate-striate, the interstices longitudinally costate. Length | line. Head not longer than broad, with some irregularly placed punctures, piceous or sometimes dark fulvous ; eyes large; penultimate joint of the palpi but moderately thickened, the apical one acutely pointed ; antennae rather widely separated, extending to the base of the elytra, the second joint strongly thickened and very short, the third scarcely longer and much thinner, the following joints transverse, moniliform, gradually and strongly thickened ; the colour variable, the three or four basal and sometimes the apical joint pale testaceous, at other times nearly black; thorax strongly transverse, nearly three times broader than long, the sides nearly straight, the posterior margin rounded, the anterior angles obliquely rounded, the sides distinctly narrower than the middle, the surface with a few fine and irregularly placed punctures ; elytra strongly ovate and convex, acutely pointed at the apex, glabrous and shining, nearly black, the punctured striae rather indistinct except at the base and at the sides, the interstices longitudinally convex, the posterior femora very strongly swollen, their tibiae slightly curved and longitudinally channelled, armed with a single distinct spine at the apex, the first joint of the posterior tarsi as long as the following three joints together ; the swollen claw-joint appendiculate. From San Esteban and Caracas. This very small but interesting species probably forms the repre-tative of a new genus closely allied to Cyrton or Sparnus on account of its glabrous upper surface, the thickened antennae, and transversely shaped thorax, but seems to differ in the more filiform palpi and the exceptionally distantly placed antennae. In spite of these differences I prefer to place the insect in Sparnus until similarly structured forms are found, the number of genera already existing in the group of CEdipodes not making it desirable to increase them without sufficient and substantial structural characters being present. It will not be difficult to recognize 8. minutus on account of the very strongly ovate, posteriorly pointed shape, and the glabrous upper surface. DIABROTICA SIMONI, n. sp. Pale green, the head, scutellum, breast, and the tibiae and tarsi black; antenna? fulvous, the second and third joints short; elytra subrugose, a sutural narrow short stripe black, the base and two obscure spots at and below the middle flavous. Fern. Thorax with four piceous elongate spots; humeral callus fulvous. Var. Elytra without flavous marks, bright green, shining. Length 2| lines. Head with a deep fovea, black, shining; antennae nearly as long |
