PEIONOCYPHON. 601 



1. Prionocyphon pilicomis. (Tab. XXVI. figg. 20, 6; 20 a, antenna, 6 ; 

 21, antenna, $ .) 



d* . Rotundate or rotundate-oval, very convex, shining ; black or pitchy-black, usually with a violaceous or 

 brassy lustre, the body beneath, the front of the head, the oral organs, antennae, and legs testaceous ; the 

 upper surface thickly clothed with rather long cinereous pubescence, the elytra with a very broad common 

 transverse patch of fuscous or brownish pubescence on the disc a little before the middle (usually rubbed 

 off). Head, prothorax, and scutellum sparsely, very minutely punctate ; head very broad, the eyes large 

 and prominent ; antennae elongate, in small specimens fully as long as the body, joint 1 greatly 

 dilated on the inner side, ear-shaped, 2 small, globose, 3 very minute, 4-11 elongate, flattened, a little 

 dilated, and parallel towards their apex, 4 longer than 5, 5-11 subequal in length, all the joints clothed 

 with long projecting hairs ; prothorax very short and convex ; elytra abruptly declivous from about the 

 middle, appearing transversely gibbous towards the base when viewed from the side, thickly, finely 

 punctate, the punctuation much coarser than that of the prothorax ; prosternal process very narrow, 

 laminiform. 



Var. The sides of the head, two marks at the base of the prothorax, and a very large common patch on the 

 disc of the elytra, extending to the base, testaceous. 



$ . Short-oval, the patch of darker hairs on the elytra more extended, in one specimen occupying nearly the 

 whole of the upper surface; antenna? much shorter and very feebly serrate, finely pubescent, joint 1 much 

 smaller and very much less dilated within, 3 not much shorter than 2 ; eyes not prominent. 



Length 2^-4, breadth 2-3 millim. 



Hah. Guatemala, San Geronimo, El Tumbador, Cerro Zunil (Champion) ; Nicaragua, 

 Chontales (Janson) ; Panama, Bugaba, Volcan de Chiriqui (Champion). 



Thirty-five males and six females, most of those from Chiriqui being in a bad state 

 of preservation. The variety is represented by three examples from Chiriqui. The 

 insects described as the females differ greatly from the males in the form of the 

 antennas, as well as in their non-prominent eyes ; but, as they were obtained at Cerro 

 Zunil and on the Volcan de Chiriqui with the males, there can be little doubt that 

 they really belong here. In some of the males the third antennal joint is so minute 

 as to be scarcely visible, the corresponding joint in the females being much larger, and 

 not very much shorter than the second. The long hairs on the antennae of the males 

 are conspicuous. The insect varies greatly in size. 



2. Prionocyphon auritus. (Tab. XXVI. figg. 22, s ; 22 a, antenna.) 



Botundate-oval, very convex, shining ; black, with a brightly brassy lustre, the front of the head, oral organs, 

 antennae, and legs ferruginous, the elytra with a red apical patch ; the upper surface thickly clothed with 

 rather long cinereous and brownish pubescence. Head, prothorax, and scutellum sparsely, very minutely 

 punctate ; head very broad, the eyes not prominent ; antennae short, not half the length of the body, 

 finely pubescent, joint 1 enormously dilated on the inner side, ear-shaped, 2 oval, 3 very small, much 

 shorter than 2, 4-11 moderately long, flattened, a little dilated, and subparallel towards their apex, very 

 gradually decreasing in length ; prothorax very short and convex ; elytra declivous from about the 

 middle, thickly > minutely punctate, the punctuation coarser than that of the prothorax. 



Length 3£, breadth 2| millim. ( S 



Hah. Panama, Pena Blanca 3000 feet (Champion). 



One specimen, evidently a male. The antennas in this insect are even shorter than 

 they are in the female of P. pilicornis, and have the basal joint enormously dilated. 

 biol. centk.-amee., Coleopt., Vol. III. Pt. 1, Fehruary 1897. 4 H 



