OCR Text |
Show 1897.] PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA OF AFRICA. 239 underside and legs fulvous, nearly impunctate ; the sides of the breast clothed with short golden-yellow pubescence; terminal joints of the tarsi more or less black. Hah. West Coast of Africa. Amongst the large-sized metallic-blue species of Africa, the present one may be known by the colour of the antennas, their slender shape, the sculpturing of the thorax, and the deep elytral impression and their strong punctuation, as well as by the colour of the tarsi. I received several specimens from Mr. Alluaud in Paris. LEMA MARSHALLI, n. sp. (Plate XVII. fig. 2.) Greenish black; the vertex and the thorax fulvous, the latter wdth two spots on the disc and the base greenish; elytra fulvous, strongly punctate-striate; a spot on the shoulder, the suture, and a transverse spot across the latter, below the base, metallic dark green. Length 3 lines. Head strongly and remotely punctured, the vertex fulvous with two greenish spots and a central similarly-coloured fovea; eyes deeply notched; lower portion of face greenish black; the entire head sparingly clothed with fulvous short hairs; palpi long and slender, black ; antennas rather short, greenish black, pubescent, the fifth aud following joints gradually but slightly widened; thorax about one-half broader than long, the sides but moderately constricted, the anterior angles slightly tuberculiform, the surface with two rows of central punctures and some others anteriorly, fulvous, two triangular-shaped spots at the middle and a transverse band occupying the basal portion below the sulcus greenish black ; scutellum of the same colour, subquadrate, sparingly pubescent ; elytra with a slight depression below the base, reddish fulvous, deeply and regularly punctate-striate, the interstices longitudinally costate at the apex; an elongate spot on tbe shoulders, a transverse short spot across the suture below the base, and the suture itself narrowly metallic dark green ; underside and legs greenish black. Hah. Natal (collected by M r . G. Marshall). Of this handsome species, two specimens were obtained by Mr. Marshall in the neighbourhood of Natal. This Lema seems very closely allied to L. Insignis, Lac, likewise from Africa, in regard to coloration ; but is smaller, the thorax is distinctly broader than long (not scarcely so long as broad as in L. Insignis), the elytra have only a shallow depression below the base, not a deep one, and the band and subquadrate spot of which Lacordaire speaks are absent. LEMA BREVICORNIS, n. sp. Below blackish ; antennas very short, black; basal and apical joint fulvous ; head and thorax obscure dark fulvous, minutely |