CUPHOTES.—PCCILESTHUS. 390 
Spheniscus cruciatus, De}. Cat. 8rd edit. p. 2294. 
Spheniscus 4-maculatus, Erichs. Consp. Col. Peruan. in Archiv fir Naturg. 1847, part 1, p. 120°; 
J. Thoms. Arcana Nat. p. 111, t. 11. f. 6°. 
Spheniscus 4-plagiatus, Kirsch, Berl. ent. Zeitschr. 1866, p. 202”. 
Hab. Nicaracva, Chontales (Belt, Janson); Panama (coll. F. Bates), Bugaba, Volcan 
de Chiriqui (Champion)—Cotomsia, Bogota’; Guiana, Cayenne!234; Brazu?; 
Peru ®®; Borivia. 
_ An extremely variable insect. The very long series of Central-American examples 
before me nearly all belong to the typical form, in which the elytra have a common 
broad median transverse band and the suture narrowly black; some few specimens 
have the suture only black. 
The variety described by Erichson > as quadrimaculatus | the insect figured by Thomson 
under this name (op. cit.) does not agree with Erichson’s description] and by Kirsch’? 
as quadriplagiatus has the elytra black, with a large spot at the shoulders and another 
at the apex testaceous or fulvous: this form I have not yet seen from our country. 
C. cincta is very abundant throughout the forest-region of Tropical America and extends 
as far north as Nicaragua. In some of the more southern localities all the numerous 
varieties have been collected together. Pecilesthus fasciatus (Fabr.) is erroneously 
given as a synonym of this species by Thomson. 
6. Cuphotes elongata. 
Spheniscus elongatus, J. Thoms. Arcana Nat. p. 112 1 
Hab. Nicaracua, Chontales (Belt).—Braziu '. 
A single female example from Chontales agrees with the description of this insect. 
C. elongata is one of three allied species described by Thomson, and known from the 
others of the genus by the large and narrowly separated eyes, the deeply impressed 
thorax, and the peculiar sculpture of the elytra. In the elytral maculation this insect 
exactly resembles the typical form of Pecilesthus nigro-punctatus ; it is, however, at once 
separated from that species by the thorax not being margined at the sides, and by 
the elytral spots being somewhat depressed and punctured all over. 
PCECILESTHUS. 
Pecilesthus, Blanchard, Hist. Nat. Ins. i. p. 33 (1845) ; Lacordaire, Gen. Col. v. Pp. 483 (1859) ; 
Maklin, (fv. Finsk. Vetensk.-Soc. Forh. xx. p. 64 (1878). 
2 Spheniscus, Castelnau, Hist. Nat. Ins. Col. ii. p. 232 (1840) *. 
This Tropical-American genus contains about thirty-five described species, and very 
* Spheniscus kirby’, Cast. (Loc. cit.), from Brazil, from the description, would seem to be a species allied to 
Pecilesthus pictus (Guér.), and not a variety of S. erotyloides, Kirby, as supposed by Lacordaire ; the definition 
« eorselet rebordé” and the elytral sculpture appear to indicate an ally of P. pictus. 
