OCR Text |
Show 1906.] COLEOPTERA OF THE GENUS SCIOBIUS. 245 short, subcorneal. Prothorax strongly transverse, subtruncate at base, evidently narrower and truncate at the apex, sides not much rounded, broadest rather before middle and distinctly constricted close to apex ; upper surface convex, set with rather distant small rounded granules, with a deep rounded lateral impression on each side near the base and a transverse impressed line at the apical constriction ; colour piceous, the granules bare, the interstices with dense even grey scaling. Elytra broadly ovate, of the same shape in the two sexes, subtruncate at base, sides rounded, broadest about middle ; upper surface convex, the stria? containing rows of large shallow punctures separated by small granules and more or less hidden by the scaling, disappearing behind middle, where the stria? become deeper; the intervals rather narrow, subequal in width, convex (more so posteriorly), uneven owing to the presence of depressed obsolescent granules; colour piceous, covered with uniform grey scaling. Legs stout, piceous, with rather thin pale scaling, the anterior tibia? not curved, but the internal apic;d angle more produced in the S than in the 2 • TYPE, d in the British Museum, 2 n l the Oxford Museum. C A P E C O L O N Y : Knysna (IF. F. Purcell). TRANSKEI : Kentani (Rev. Dr. F. C. Kolbe). I a m indebted to Dr. Walther Horn for six examples of this species, but they are without exact locality, being merely labelled " Cape." This insect is very closely allied to S. cultratus Mshl., of which it is probably the Cape Colony representative. It is, however, a larger and more robust insect and the elytra of the cS are not acuminate posteriorly ; the dilated gena? are not recurved in the o* , they are sharp and not rounded in the 2 5 the antenna? are a little shorter and thicker ; the prothorax is much more transverse and entirely lacks the smooth raised central portion of cultratus; the apical abdominal segment is much broader and less acuminate in both sexes; finally, in cultratus the anterior tibia? of the S are distinctly curved on their outer edge and the internal apical angle is sharp in both sexes, whereas in cinereus the outer edge of the anterior tibia? is straight and the internal angle is broadly and bluntly produced in both sexes. 4. SCIOBIUS OBESUS, sp. nov. (Plate XVIII. fig. 2.) Long. 10f-12, lat. 5f-6i m m . Head strongly transverse, its length rather less than half the breadth, black, finely aciculate and densely covered with grey or yellowish scaling with a metallic golden reflection ; forehead with a deep longitudinal impression in the middle and a shallow one on each side of it; a distinct rounded projection above the eyes, which are prominent. Rostrum a little longer than the width at base ; gena? moderately dilated into a blunt angle, similar in the two sexes; upper surface deeply excavate, with a smooth central carina, the lateral carina? bisinuate in the (unique) S, straight and convergent basally in the 2 » beyond these an additional 17* |