TAPHEOCERITS. 129 



narrowed to the apex, which is obtuse and serrulate; each elytron has several lines of 

 rather strong punctures, the lines varying somewhat in length, but seldom extending 

 beyond the middle, where there are generally three white pubescent spots, the middle 

 one of which is a little above the others ; at a short distance from the apex there is a 

 transverse brassy punctured spot, more or less covered with white pubescence. 



S 5. Taphrocerus guttatus. 



Mger, nitidus ; elytris basi striato-punctatis, gutta subbasali, fascia mediana altera subapicali albis ornatis. 

 Long. 1| lin. 



Hab. Guatemala, San Juan in Vera Paz (Champion). 



This species exactly resembles T. nigritulus, but has no lateral carina to the elytra. 



A specimen from Volcan de Chiriqui and another from Caldera, captured by 

 Mr. Champion, have the middle band of the elytra represented by two white spots; 

 and an example from Bugaba, Panama, has only one spot. 



</ 6. Taphrocerus psilopteroides. 



.ZEneus, nitidus ; capite lato ; elytris basi striato-punetatis, vix purpurascentibus, fascia mediana paullo angulata 



alteraque ante apicem seneis, punctatis, griseo-albo-pilosis ornatis. 

 Long. 1|- lin. 



Hab. Mexico, Cuernavaca in Morelos (H. H. Smith) ; Guatemala, Chiacam and San 

 Geronimo in Vera Paz (Champion); Panama, Taboga I. (Champion). 



This species is the most cylindrical of this group. It is a little shorter and narrower 

 than T. guttatus. The head is very broad and the thorax is consequently a little less 

 narrowed in front, and the posterior angles are a little less prominent. The elytra 

 have the shoulders a little less angular, the sinuosity below the shoulders less marked, 

 and the angulation at the middle less pronounced ; the lines of punctures are rather 

 close together and fairly regular; there is a small quadrate impression close to the 

 suture at one third from the base, and two brassy fasciae, one at the middle and the 

 other near the apex, both slightly covered with greyish-white pubescence. 



I have taken the above description from the example from Chiacam. The specimen 

 from Cuernavaca may possibly belong to a different species ; it measures If lines in 

 length, and has the lines of punctures on the elytra continued beyond the middle to 

 the subapical fascia. 



^ 7. Taphrocerus purpureipennis. 



^neus, nitidus ; elytris purpureis, striato-punctatis, pube brevissima sparsis. 

 Long. If lin. 



Hab. Panama, Taboga I. (Champion). 



This species has very much the form of T. mexicanus, but is not quite so broad, and 

 biol. centk.-amee., Coleopt., Vol. III. Pt. 1, August 1889. S 



