128 MALACODERMATA. 
Head and thorax black, finely punctured, clothed with very fine, and rather sparingly 
with depressed ashy-grey pubescence, and rather thickly with long, erect, black hairs ; 
antenne black, the basal joint at its apex and the two following obscurely pitchy red. 
Elytra long, rather parallel, and flattish above, with coarse, deeply impressed, evenly- 
scattered punctures, and erect black hairs. Two distinct coste are to be seen, which 
are always black, and connected before the apex by a black callosity; they are also 
sometimes connected with the black suture by a streak from the humeral callus, from 
which the outer costa commences, leaving a red basal spot. The intercostal red space 
is widened at its apical end; and this portion shows indications of becoming detached ; 
the lateral limb of the elytra is always red, and the apex black. 
The figure is of one of six specimens taken by Champion on the Volcan de Chiriqui. 
MELYRODES. 
Caput breve, haud rostratum. Antenne perbreves, thoraci longitudine sequales. Pronoti margines subelevati, 
ad latera crenulati. Elytra fortiter subseriatim punctata, lineis una vel duabus elevatioribus. Corpus 
parvum. 
This genus is very similar in so many points to Melyrosoma, Wollaston, that it will 
be sufficient to point out those characters in which it differs. The head is shorter; and 
the antenne are both much shorter, regard being had to proportion, and are also not 
serrate. The body is less depressed ; and the elytra only exhibit faint traces of one, or 
at the most two, raised lines. . 
It is interesting to find an insect in Central America which so much resembles an 
aberrant form from the Canaries. 
I have not seen the two species of Melyris described by Leconte, but have no doubt 
they will have to be separated from Melyris proper. 
1. Melyrodes crenata. 
Nigra, parum nitida; capite omnium creberrime subtiliter punctato; prothorace transverso, margine clevato, 
disco convexo, subtiliter crebre punctato, lateribus crenatis, antice paululum angustatis; elytris postice 
latioribus, fortiter punctatis. Long. 2 millim. 
Hab. Guatemata, Las Mercedes, Cerro Zunil, Panajachel (Champion). 
Black, with the exception of one or two joints at the base of the antenne, and the 
knees and tarsi, which area little pitchy red. The antenne are short, their length 
about equal to that of the thorax; their middle joints are angular within, but not 
strongly serrate as in Melyrosoma. The thorax narrows in front, its greatest width 
being shortly before the base. The elytra are very even—the raised lines, even when 
present, being very faint,—rather distinctly margined, especially at the apex. ‘The 
punctures are arranged in rows, but at the base are very close and confluent. 
There are two specimens from Cerro Zunil, and one from each of the other localities, | 
