SPHENISCOSOMUS. 451 



5. Spheniscosomus rodriguezi. 



Melanotus rodriguezi, Cand. Compt. Rend. Soc. Ent. Belg. 1878, p. clxvii (Elat. Nouv. ii. p. 40) \ 

 Melanotus lucidns, Cand. in litt. 



Hah. Guatemala 1 (Salle, coll. Janson) ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt). 



Of this species I have seen eight specimens, two only of which are from Nicaragua 

 (both females), varying from 10 to 22 J millim. in length. The coarse punctures on 

 the thorax are widely scattered on the disc, becoming more crowded towards the 

 sides and apex ; the hind angles are obsoletely carinate. The third joint of the 

 antennae is about twice as long as the second, and narrower and shorter than the 

 fourth. The antennae are short, extending very little beyond the hind angles of 

 the thorax in the male, still shorter in the female. The thorax, as usual, is more 

 rounded at the sides in the female than in the male. The specimens of this insect 

 in the Janson collection are labelled in Dr. Candeze's handwriting, Melanotus lucidits, 

 Cand. 



6. SphenisCOSOmUS laevis. (Tab. XX. fig. 5, prothorax, d .) 



Elongate, flattened above, varying in colour from deep black to castaneous, shining, very sparsely clothed with 

 rather coarse, decumbent, cinereous or yellowish-cinereous hairs, the legs and antenna? rufous or brown. 

 Head sparsely, coarsely punctate ; antennae extending to a little beyond the hind angles of the prothorax, 

 and ciliate on their inner edge, in the male, shorter in the female, the third joint nearly or quite as long 

 as the fourth. Prothorax nearly as long as broad, a little rounded at the sides, gradually narrowing from 

 the base ; the hind angles feebly or obsoletely carinate ; the basal sulci very deep, long, and oblique ; 

 the surface with widely scattered very fine or moderately coarse punctures, these becoming coarser and 

 more crowded near the anterior angles, canaliculate behind. Elytra about three times the length of the 

 prothorax, narrowing from the base ; finely or moderately coarsely seriate-punctate, the stria? obsolete or 

 shallow, except on the basal declivity, where they are very deeply impressed, and along the suture, the 

 punctures somewhat distantly placed ; the interstices flat or very feebly convex, each with two very 

 irregular rows of widely separated fine or minute punctures. Beneath with widely separated fine 

 punctures, these becoming coarser at the sides ; the fifth ventral segment more closely punctured and 

 pubescent at the apex in the male than in the female. 



Length 12|-19£, breadth 3^-5^ millim. ( <$ § .) 



Hab. Mexico, Jalapa (Edge) ; British Honduras (coll. Janson) ; Guatemala, Coban 

 (Conradt) ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt, E. M. Janson) ; Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui 

 {Champion). 



Eight specimens, varying greatly in size and colour, and also in the intensity of the 

 punctuation. Some of the males are very elongate, deep black, and very finely punc- 

 tured, with the elytral striae obsolete, except on the basal declivity and along the 

 suture. The single examples from Mexico and British Honduras are more coarsely 

 punctured than the others. Two of the females from Chontales are less elongate than 

 usual. This species may chiefly be known by the long and deep basal sulci of the 

 thorax and the very widely scattered fine punctuation of its surface, the punctures 

 being a little more crowded near the anterior angles only, and the finely seriate- 



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