OCR Text |
Show 1897.] PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA OF AFRICA. 263 closely punctured, flavous, a sutural band and two large spots the sides black. Length Inline. Head very broad, finely and closely punctured, black; the clypeus separated from the face by the perfectly straight lower edge of the latter and placed at a deeper level, flavous, bounded at each side by a long triangular projection of the head, mandibles large and broad; antennas short, black, the lower five joints flavous, third, fourth, and fifth joints equal, short, terminal joints transversely widened; thorax strongly transverse, but slightly widened at the middle, the lateral margins nearly straight, the surface closely and finely but distinctly punctured, flavous, the extreme margins dark, the disc wdth two large transversely-shaped black spots, occupying the greater part of the sides ; scutellum broad, its apex truncate, black; elytra with regular rows of strong punctures which get finer towards the apex, the interstices also very distinctly and closely punctured, flavous, the suture with a narrow black band which below the middle widens into a lancet-shaped spot, the sides with two large black spots, one on the shoulder and the other immediately below it, both large and of irregular shape, the lower spot ending at some distance from the apex ; below7 black, the apex of the abdomen aud the pygidium flavous, the latter with a small black spot at the apex; legs fulvous. Hab. Niger-Benue Exped. (Staudinger). Of this little species, which is much distinguished by the shape and structure of the head, I received a single example from Dr. Staudinger. CRYPTOCEPHALUS MARSHALLI, n. sp. (Plate XVII. fig. 10.) Head yellow, spotted with black ; thorax flavous, finely punctured, with a transverse band at the middle and the base black; scutellum black; elytra moderately strongly punctate-striate, flavous, the margins narrowly, four spots placed quadrately at the base, and another A-shaped spot below tbe middle at the sides, black; underside and legs fulvous, spotted with black. Length 2\ lines. Head closely and strongly punctured; the vertex black, with two small flavous spots ; the lower portion flavous, with a black spot at the base of the antennas, the latter scarcely extending to the middle of the elytra, fulvous ; the terminal four or five joints more or less black, the third joint twice as long as the second, fourth slightly longer than the third, the following joints rather strongly widened; thorax strongly transverse, rather short, the sides rounded, strongly narrowed in front, the surface closely and finely puuctured, flavous, the middle of the disc occupied by a narrow transverse black band, not extending to the sides but connected with another narrower band of irregular shape at the base by a narrow central streak of black and also sometimes at each end ; scutellum not longer than broad, black ; elytra not very strongly punctured, the interstices flat and iinpuuctate, the |