V-' 



610 SEERICOENIA. 



reddish at the tip ; the upper surface rather sparsely clothed with fine decumbent yellowish hairs. Head, 

 prothorax, and scutellum very finely punctate ; antennae long and slender, joint 3 small, shorter than 2, 

 4-11 very elongate, the outer joints diminishing in length ; prothorax convex, very short, rapidly narrowing 

 from the base, acutely margined at the sides ; elytra rather coarsely, not very closely punctate, acutely 

 margined at the sides. 



Var. a. The elytra with a large common patch at the base (not extending to the scutellum), or the apex, piceous. 



Var. |8. The elytra immaculate. 



Length 3-3^, breadth 2£-2§ millim. 



Hah. Mexico, Atoyac in Vera Cruz (H. H. Smith) ; Panama, Bugaba and David in 

 Chiriqui (Champion). 



Ten specimens from Chiriqui and one from Mexico, four only (all from Bugaba) 

 being of the typical form. The unicolorous rufo-testaceous variety has very much 

 the appearance of a Sphwroderma, of the family Halticidae. 8. rotundatus closely 

 approaches 8. thoracicus and S. circumcinctus, but has more coarsely punctured elytra, 

 the punctuation also being closer than in S. circumcinctus. From 8. pilatei in all its 

 varieties it may be known by the more rotundate shape, and the sparser, finer, and 

 shorter pubescence. A typical specimen from Bugaba is figured. 



4. Scirtes circumcinctus. (Tab. XXVII. fig. 2.) 



Rotundate, convex, shining ; head black or brown, the prothorax rufo-testaceous, becoming indeterminately 

 flavous at the sides, the disc in one specimen stained with piceous, the scutellum black or piceous, the 

 elytra brown, usually with the sutural, basal, and lateral margins black or piceous; the antenna 

 testaceous, with the three or four terminal joints more or less infuscate ; the legs and under surface 

 brown, the tarsi, and sometimes the tibiae also, testaceous ; the upper surface sparsely clothed with fine 

 pallid pubescence. Head, prothorax, and scutellum thickly, minutely punctate ; antennas moderately 

 long, slender, joint 3 small, shorter than 2, 4-11 elongate, the outer joints diminishing in length; 

 prothorax very short, convex, rapidly narrowing from the base, acutely margined at the sides ; elytra 

 sparsely, finely punctate, the punctuation distinctly coarser than that of the prothorax, acutely and 

 narrowly margined at the sides. 



Length 3-3J, breadth 2-2| millim. 



Hah. Panama, Bugaba and David (Champion). 



Seven specimens, one of which has a piceous mark on the disc of the thorax. The 

 elytra usually have the sutural, basal, and lateral margins darker than the rest of the 

 surface. At first sight 8. circumcinctus would appear to be nothing more than a 

 colour-variety of 8. thoracicus, but it has the elytra distinctly more sparsely and more 

 finely punctate. 



5. Scirtes thoracicus. (Tab. XXVII. fig. 3.) 



Broad-oval, convex, shining ; black, the prothorax with the sides broadly flavous, the elytra in one specimen 

 indeterminately reddish-brown near the suture, the antennae testaceous, with the three or four outer 

 joints infuscate, the legs piceous or brown, with the tarsi and the anterior and middle tibise testaceous ; 

 the upper surface clothed with fine pallid pubescence. Head, prothorax, and scutellum thickly, minutely 

 punctate; antennas rather long and slender, joint 3 small, shorter than 2, 4-11 elongate, the outer joints 

 diminishing in length ; prothorax very short, convex, rapidly narrowing from the base, acutely margined 



