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Show 222 MR. M. JACOBY ON PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA [Mar. 6, head and thorax finely and closely punctured, the latter with a smooth central line; elytra extremely finely punctured and wrinkled, clothed with short silvery pubescence. Length 5 millim. Of obscure brownish-aeneous colour, the head finely and sub-remotely punctured ; the clypeus not separated, punctured like the head ; labrum piceous, lower joints of the palpi fulvous ; antennae short, not extending to the middle of the elytra, dark fulvous, the basal joint stained with aeneous, terminal joints distinctly thickened, each stained with fuscous at the apex ; thorax strongly transversely convex, the sides rounded, the surface closely and finely punctured throughout, clothed with very short white pubescence, the middle of the disc with a smooth central narrow space, all the margins very narrowly metallic cupreous ; scutellum much broader than long, its apex blunt, the surface with a few punctures, the margins cupreous; elytra not wider at the base than the thorax, very slightly depressed below the base, opaque, extremely closely punctured and finely wrinkled, the interstices with still smaller punctures and clothed like the thorax with short whitish pubescence; underside and femora dark aeneous and sparingly pubescent; tibiae dark fulvous. Hab. Pinetown, Natal. This is the description of the male insect, which has the anterior legs as usual longer than in the female; this and the rather less broad thorax, however, are the only visible differences between the two sexes. C. alutaceum differs from the other pubescent species of the same country in the finely punctured and wrinkled elytra and the short white hairs of the upper parts, as well as the very distinct punctation of the thorax. Whether C. pubescens Lefev. is identical with the present species can only be ascertained by comparing the type, as a three-lined description of insects which are so closely allied is of no use whatever, and an abuse of science, which should be, in m y opinion, totally ignored with the rest of all such publications ; at any rate C. pubescens is described with the labrum obscure rufous, aud the head, thorax, and elytra densely and very finely punctured, which does not apply to the species before me. COLASPOSOMA SUBAUREUM, Sp. n. Obscure fulvous with aeneous gloss, pubescent, the apical joints of the antennae black ; thorax finely and closely punctured, clothed with long white hairs ; elytra with a deep fovea below the base, closely punctured, the interstices transversely rugose throughout and pubescent like the thorax. Length 5 millim. Head closely punctured and clothed with rather long white hairs; labrum fulvous; antennae extending slightly below the middle of the elytra, fulvous, the terminal five joints black ; thorax strongly transverse, three times broader than long, the sides rounded, the fine punctation almost entirely cdVered by longish |