OCR Text |
Show 1906.] NEW AFRICAN CURCULJONID.E. 9 5 1 scaling, forehead flattened; eyes coarsely facetted. Rostrum rather longer than prothorax, gradually dilated apically, rugosely punctured throughout, with a shallow lateral furrow from insertion of antennae to eye filled with pale scaling; scrobes short, oblique, rapidly disappearing beneath rostrum. Antenuce with the three basal joints of funicle elongate, 2 being the longest, 5-7 very short, 4 half as long again. Prothorax shorter than its width at base, subtriangular, broadest at base and rapidly narrowed to apex, its sides slightly rounded, base bisinuate, apex strongly produced above the head, and with small but distinct ocular lobes ; upper surface rather convex and with a low blunt prominence on each side of disk before middle, deeply and rugosely punctured throughout and with brownish and yellowish setiform scaling, which is directed forwards. Elytra very broad, subquadrate, the sides slightly rounded, half as broad again as the prothorax at the shoulders, which are produced into a blunt prominence, base gently trisinuate; upper surface very convex and steeply declivous behind, with regular shallow sulci containing rows of large subreticulate foveae, the intervals closely and rugosely punctured, rather convex, except the first which is plane; intervals 2, 4 and 6 each with three distant tubercles bearing tufts of erect black, or dark brown, setae, the tubercles being so placed as to form three strongly curved transverse rows on each elytron ; colour black or dark ferruginous, variegated with rather thin brownish or whitish setiform scaling. Leys comparatively slender, rugosely punctured and with dense pale setae and scaling ; anterior femora not dentate ; anterior pairs of tibiae slightly curved and with two sharp spurs above the apical spine; tarsi with the third joint much broader than the others, onychium elongate. M asiionaland : Salisbury (G. A. K. J /.) , Umtali (A. Boclong G. A. K. M.). T ype in the British Museum. A very distinct species, differing from its congeners in its less angulated elytra, much thinner legs, unarmed femora and elongate onychium. In general appearance it comes nearest to N. fascicularis Pasc., a Central African species which has recently been taken by Mr. P. A. Sheppard at Amatonga's on the Beira Railway. Pachyonyx niveus, sp. now Long. 8, lat. 3 mm. Head subglobose, closely punctured and with dense white scaling; eyes large, coarsely granulate and meeting inferiorly. Rostrum about as long as prothorax, subcylindrical and slightly curved; upper surface bare, shining and with small scattered punctures; colour castaneous. Anteunce inserted a little in front of middle, entirely light ferruginous. Prothorax a little shorter than the basal width, broadest at base, the sides gradually P roc. Z ool. Soc.-1906, No. LXIII. 63 |