PIRAS. 165 
claws, and in the antenne being inserted much nearer the eyes; and from the latter in 
its longer and more exserted head, more ovate, oblong, and less emarginate eyes, broad 
apical joint of the maxillary palpi, longer basal joint of the antenne, and toothed claws. 
The species of all three genera appear to be chiefly found on the coast. 
1. Piras nasalis. (Tab. VII. figg. 24, ¢@ ; 24a, labium; 246, maxilla and 
maxillary palpus. ) 
Elongate, moderately shining, thickly clothed with rather long appressed ashy pubescence; the head and 
prothorax dark bronze, the latter with a greenish or bluish lustre, the former with the mandibles (except 
at the tip) and the anterior part of the epistoma testaceous; the elytra metallic blue. Head very closely 
and finely punctured, the anterior part of the epistoma quite smooth, the palpi and antenne piceous or 
piceous-brown; prothorax much longer than broad, cylindrical, as wide at the apex as at the base, the 
sides feebly sinuate behind the middle, the basal and apical margins prominent, the base feebly emarginate 
in the centre, the disc shallowly transversely depressed in the middle behind, and very shallowly obliquely 
depressed on each side anteriorly, the surface very closely and finely punctured, a narrow longitudinal 
space down the middle of the disc impunctate ; elytra nearly two and a half times as long as the prothorax, 
densely, finely, and roughly punctured, and sometimes with indications of two fine raised lines on the disc ; 
beneath bluish-black, the hind margins of the ventral segments sometimes paler, densely punctured; legs 
roughly punctured and thickly and coarsely pubescent, piceous or piceous-brown; fifth ventral segment 
unemarginate in both sexes; sixth ventral segment narrow, and with the lateral lobes slender, curved, 
and setose, in the male. 
Length 6-7 millim. (¢ 9.) 
Hab. Guatemaua, Champerico (Champion). 
Four examples of this species were captured by myself on the sea-shore at 
Champerico. 
2. Piras bicolor. (Tab. VII. fig. 25.) 
Elongate, moderately shining, thickly clothed with ashy pubescence; the head blackish-bronze, the anterior 
part of the epistoma and the mandibles (except at the tip) flavous; the prothorax orange-yellow; the 
scutellum and elytra brassy-green. Head closely and finely punctured, the palpi and antenne piceous ; 
prothorax much longer than broad, cylindrical, as broad at the apex as at the base, the sides very feebly 
sinuate behind the middle, the disc feebly depressed in the centre before the base, and with the usual 
depression on either side anteriorly quite small and almost obsolete, the base feebly emarginate in the 
middle and with a rather prominent margin, the surface closely and finely punctured towards the sides 
and more sparsely so on the disc (the punctuation much more diffuse here than upon the head); elytra 
about three times as long as the prothorax, densely, finely, and roughly punctured, and with two fine 
raised lines on the disc; beneath dark greenish-bronze, the prothorax orange-yellow, densely punctured ; 
legs (including the coxe) testaceous, the tarsi and the apices of the tibie darker, finely punctured and 
pubescent. 
Length 54 millim. 
Hab. Mexico, Mazatlan (Hoge). 
One example only. This species differs from P. nasalis in its very different. colour ; 
the head and thorax are narrower, and the legs are more finely pubescent and less 
roughly punctured. 
