LACTICA. 283 



Hah Mexico, Teapa 1 ; Guatemala, Panzos in Vera Paz (Champion). ' 



In the type before me (a single specimen) the head is impunctate, with a single small 

 fovea in front of the eyes. The antennae are rather long and robust ; the third and 

 fourth joints are of equal length. The thorax has the sides straight and the sulcation 

 almost interrupted at the middle. The elytra are impunctate, yellowish white, with 

 a single black spot before the middle. The scutellum, knees, tibiae, and tarsi are 

 black. The general shape of the insect is robust and rather convex. The single 

 specimen obtained by Mr. Champion is stouter and larger than the type, of darker 

 coloration, and with an obscure black spot at each side within the basal sulcation 

 of the thorax ; in other respects there is no difference of any importance. 



34. Lactica germari. (Tab. XVII. fig. 9.) 



Broadly ovate, robust, convex ; metallic blue or green ; antennae (the first joint excepted) black ; thorax trans- 

 verse, nearly impunctate ; elytra with basal depression, scarcely visibly punctured. 



Length 2|-3 lines. 



Head extremely minutely punctured, the space round the inner margin of the eyes depressed ; frontal tubercles 

 scarcely raised ; carina strongly raised and widened in front ; labrum piceous, margined with testaceous ; 

 antennae two thirds the length of the body, the third joint one half longer than the second, fourth joint as 

 long as the two preceding ones together, terminal joints gradually shortened ; basal joint metallic green, 

 the rest black ; thorax nearly three times as broad as long, the sides narrowly margined and very slightly 

 rounded, the basal sulcation not strongly impressed, but distinct, and deeply bounded laterally by the 

 longitudinal groove ; surface nearly impunctate ; scutellum broad, violaceous ; elytra widened below the 

 middle, convex and depressed below the base near the suture, extremely finely punctured (visible under a 

 strong lens only) at their anterior portion, the rest impunctate ; underside and femora nearly black, with 

 a metallic greenish gloss. 



Hah. Guatemala, Calderas, Duenas (Champion). 



At first sight this species resembles much that of one of the genus Haltica or 

 Diphaulaca, from the former of which the shape of the thoracic groove and that of the 

 frontal carina distinguish it, while the latter character in connexion with the blunt 

 anterior angles of the thorax and the nearly impunctate elytra will help to separate the 

 insect from the latter genus. Ten specimens were obtained. 



35. Lactica frontalis. 



Below black ; above bluish black ; lower part of vertex transversely raised ; thorax transverse, extremely 

 finely punctured ; elytra finely semipunctate-striate. 



Length 1| line. 



Vertex of head very finely transversely wrinkled, its lower portion above the eyes transversely raised and limited 

 posteriorly by a slight transverse groove and anteriorly by a deep furrow ; frontal tubercles distinct, sub- 

 triangular ; carina flattened and widened in front ; antennae more than half the length of the body, black, 

 the third joint longer than the fourth ; thorax transverse, the sides greatly rounded ; anterior angles 

 produced in a short tubercle ; basal groove straight, and placed rather closely to the posterior margin, 

 deeply impressed and distinctly limited at the sides ; rest of the surface extremely finely punctured, visible 

 only under a strong glass ; scutellum black ; elytra widened below, the middle much more distinctly 

 punctured than the thorax, slightly depressed below the base, the punctuation anteriorly arranged here 

 and there in indistinct longitudinal rows, the apex more finely and indistinctly punctured. 



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