SYSTENA. 327 



11. Systena dilatipennis. (Tab. XX. fig. 12.) 



Elongate, widened behind, black ; bead and thorax rufous ; elytra obscure testaceous, sparingly and finely 

 punctured. 



Length 2 lines. 



Head impunctate ; frontal tubercles distinct and divided by a rather deep groove ; labrum and palpi black ; 

 antennae about two thirds the length of the body, entirely black, the third joint one half longer than the 

 second, fourth slightly longer than the preceding, the following joints more elongate ; thorax scarcely 

 broader than long, distinctly narrowed anteriorly, the sides nearly straight and slightly sinuate or concave 

 in front of the anterior angles, surface entirely impunctate and dark fulvous or rufous like the head, 

 shining ; the transverse basilar groove rather distinct and limited at each end by a more deeply impressed 

 fovea ; scutellum piceous ; elytra distinctly widened behind the middle, pale testaceous, the suture very 

 narrowly black, the disc impressed anteriorly with some irregular double rows of punctures, which dis- 

 appear almost entirely behind the middle ; underside and legs black. 



Hab, Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Champion). 



The shape of the thorax and its basilar groove in this species is quite different from 

 any of its allies ; the thorax is much narrower than the elytra ; the elytra are distinctly 

 widened behind, and much narrowed towards the base. These characters, in connection 

 with the colour of the insect, will help to distinguish it. 



12. Systena elongata? 



Galeruca elongata, Fabr. Suppl. Ent. Syst. p. 99 (1798) \ 

 Altica elongata, Oliv. Ent. vi. p. 694, t. 3. f. 45 2 . 



Hab. North America 1 2 . — Guatemala, Duenas, Capetillo (Champion, coll. Salle, mus. 

 Stuttgard). 



It is not without considerable doubt that I refer the Guatemalan specimens before 

 me to Fabricius's species, as the authors quoted above describe the colour as " aeneous," 

 while all the specimens I have for comparison are black without any metallic gloss ; 

 they agree, however, as far as one may judge from the short and insufficient descrip- 

 tions, in the main points. The species seems, however, to be a most variable one, 

 although from the same localities ; the following description will help to recognize 

 the insect : — Below black ; anterior legs, base of the antennae and that of the posterior 

 tibiae, elytral epipleurae and thorax testaceous ; the thorax transverse, remotely but 

 distinctly punctured, the sides often piceous ; elytra black, closely and more strongly 

 punctured, obsoletely depressed below the base, a narrow longitudinal vitta, slightly 

 curved at the base and abbreviated before the apex, yellowish ; this vitta is placed 

 slightly nearer to the suture than to the lateral margin; head with a few punc- 

 tures, darker than the thorax ; antennae with the third and fourth joints slender and 



equal. 



Yar. a. Smaller, almost entirely black, the elytral vitta only indicated at the base by a yellow round spot. 



Yar. b. Head fulvous, thorax with the margins obscure fulvous. 



Yar. c. Head fulvous, rest as in var. a, elytra with an additional spot near the apex. 



The last variety (c) seems almost entirely to agree with S. basalis, Jacq. Duv., and 



