OCR Text |
Show 1900.] FROM SOUTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA. 255 GALERUCLNJE. ASBECESTA ORNATICOLLIS, sp. n. Flavous, the head and the anterior half of the thorax black, the base of the latter fulvous, strongly punctured ; elytra finely and closely punctured, testaceous, the base with a narrow, deeply emarginate blue band, another transverse narrow baud or spot placed below the middle. Length 5 millim. This species, of which two specimens were received by Prof. Poulton from Mr. H . J. Mackinder, who obtained them at Nairobi, Kikuyu Forest, in East Africa, is so closely allied to the following one that it will only be necessary to point out the differences, which comprise the colour of the head and that of the thorax ; the sides of the latter also are almost straight, not so strongly rounded anteriorly ; the bands of the elytra are very narrow aud the anterior one is deeply emarginate, the posterior band still narrower and not quite extending to the suture; lastly, the scutellum is black, not fulvous; the underside seems to be of the latter colour, but the specimens being glued to cards I a m not quite certain as to this. Type in the Oxford Museum Collection. ASBECESTA ORNATA, sp. n. (Plate XX. fig. 11.) Flavous, the head and thorax fulvous; elytra finely and closely punctured, flavous, a transverse band at the base and another near the apex dark blue. Length 5 millim. Head impunctate, frontal elevations very strongly raised, trigonate, bounded behind by a deep transverse groove ; clypeus triangular, strongly swollen ; antennae flavous, the third and fourth joints equal, slightly longer than the second, the following joints gradually widened, robust; thorax nearly twice as broad as long, the sides strongly rounded before the middle, the disc with a deep transverse sulcus, sparingly punctured anteriorly, more closely so within the depression; scutellum fulvous; elytra finely and closely punctured, the punctuation indistinct near the apex, the groundcolour pale flavous, the base w-ith a transverse, rather broad, dark blue band, extending a little way downwards at the sides, with its posterior margin rather deeply indented near the suture, near the apex another equally broad band extends from the lateral to the sutural margin ; the sides of the elytra with a rather strongly marked longitudiual sulcation; below pale fulvous, the legs flavous. Hab. Malvern, Natal (Barker) ; also Mozambique. I received several specimens of this distinct species from Mr. Barker. A single specimen from Mozambique contained in my collection differs in the shape of the posterior elytral band, which surrounds the sides and apical margins, including a spot of the ground-colour; other differences I a m unable to find. |