ANTHICUS. 233 
16. Anthicus punctipennis. (Tab. X. fig. 11.) 
Elongate, black or brownish black, the head in some examples pitchy-red and the prothorax sometimes piceous- 
brown; finely and sparsely pubescent, the basal half of the elytra with long, dense, appressed, ashy 
pubescence ; the upper surface (when denuded of pubescence) moderately shining. Head large, trans- 
verse, rounded at the sides behind, not very convex, densely and finely punctured; the eyes large and 
prominent; last joint of the maxillary palpi very broad; antenne long, thickening a little outwardly, 
piceous or piceous-brown, the three basal joints testaceous; prothorax considerably longer than broad, 
. narrower than the head, the sides rounded before and very strongly constricted behind the middle, and 
thence to the base almost straight, the anterior portion transversely convex, the posterior portion cylin- 
drical and very little dilated laterally at the base, the flanks with a very deep groove, the base finely 
margined, the surface very densely and finely punctured ; elytra long, subparallel to about the middle, 
broadly transversely depressed below the base and moderately convex beyond this, the humeri obtuse but 
prominent, the entire surface very closely and finely punctured, the punctuation on the basal portion very 
dense, the ashy pubescence transversely arranged in the depressed part and obliquely or longitudinally so 
before and behind this, the pubescence beyond the middle much darker and very much sparser and finer ; 
legs varying in colour from piceous to piceous-brown, the femora more or less testaceous at the base and 
sometimes entirely fusco-testaceous ; the femora distinctly clavate ; fifth ventral segment truncate, and 
the hind tibie slightly sinuate on the inner side, in the male. 
Length 23-3 millim. (6 2.) 
Hab. Mexico, Guajuco in Nuevo Leon (Dr. Palmer), Chilpancingo in Guerrero 
(H. H. Smith), Guanajuato, Cordova (Sallé) ; Guatemata, near the city (Salvin, Cham- 
pion), Zapote, Duefias, San Gerénimo (Champion); Nicaragua (Sallé), Chontales 
(Janson).—VENEZUELA, Caracas (coll. Oberthiir). 
A widely-distributed and rather common species on the plateau of Central America, 
and extending southwards to’Venezuela. A. punctipennis has quite the facies and 
colour of A. bactrianus and A. tumidicollis, but differs from both in the thorax not 
being gibbous behind; the dense punctuation of the elytra, more particularly of the 
basal portion, and the dense appressed whitish pubescence of the latter distinguish 
the species from the North-American A. obscurus, La Ferté, and A. nitidulus, Lec. 
(typical examples of which are before me), and from the other allied forms here 
described. The anterior portion of the elytra is duller than the rest of the surface, 
the punctuation being very dense on this part; the basal portion is transversely convex 
and without distinct swelling near the suture. The head in some specimens is pitchy- 
red, but in a long series the elytra show no tendency, as in some of the allied forms, 
to have the basal portion reddish. 
17. Anthicus asphaltinus. (Tab. X. fig. 12.) 
Of the same form and colour as A. punctipennis and differing as follows:—The head longer and narrower, the 
sides behind the eyes obliquely converging and less rounded, the surface more finely and less densely 
punctured (in some examples almost smooth); the antenne piceous-brown, with three or more of the 
pasal joints testaceous, sometimes almost entirely testaceous ; prothorax a little more dilated laterally at 
the base, rather narrower than the head, not quite so densely punctured; elytra less parallel, widest at 
the middle and somewhat ovate, the post-basal depression deeper, the punctuation fine and sparse, and 
closer and coarser on the basal portion; the entire upper surface more shining, and very sparsely and 
finely pubescent, the pubescence not transversely arranged on the depressed part ; the male characters as 
in A, punctrpennis. 
Length 24-3 millim. (¢ 2.) 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Coleopt., Vol. IV. Pt. 2, October 1890. 29HH 
