334 PHYTOPHAGA. 



basal thoracic portion are the distinguishing characters of the species before us ; 

 immature specimens are paler, but the sculpturing is the same ; the insect cannot be 

 mistaken for those with equally strongly-punctured thorax and elytra, on account of 

 the smooth not rugose interspaces, and the colour of the thorax, which is the same in 

 all the specimens before me. The variety noted above is from San Geronimo ; besides 

 the almost entire want of the elytral pale stripe, the thorax is nearly uniformly blackish 

 aeneous (with only an indication of the yellow base), and the punctuation in general is 

 less strongly impressed ; I cannot, however, separate this form in any other respect, 

 and believe it to be a local variety. 



28. Systeua puncticollis. 



Flavous ; last seven joints of the antennae and the tibiae fuscous ; thorax fulvous, finely and closely punctured ; 

 elytra nearly impunctate, flavous, a sutural and sublateral narrow stripe, abbreviated at the apex, black. 



Length 3 lines. 



Head impunctate, the frontal tubercles scarcely raised ; antennae slender, more than half the length of the 

 body, the four basal joints testaceous, stained with piceous above, the rest fuscous, third and fourth joints 

 of equal length, slender ; thorax one half broader than long, the basilar groove feeble but distinct, the 

 surface closely and finely punctured throughout, fulvous; elytra broad, widened towards the middle, 

 flavous as well as their epipleurae, finely and more distinctly punctured anteriorly near the suture, the 

 rest of the surface almost impunctate ; a narrow sutural black stripe, narrowed near the middle, extends 

 from the base to near the apex, another equally narrow band is placed immediately in front of the lateral 

 margin and terminates at the same distance from the apex as the sutural band ; underside and femora 

 flavous ; tibiae above and tarsi fuscous. 



Hab. Mexico, Panistlahuca (coll. SalU). 



The large size and broad shape in connexion with the closely punctured thorax will 

 distinguish this species ; whether the elytral stripes are always as narrow, or whether 

 they are variable, I am unable to say, as only one specimen is before me. 



29. Systena bohemani. (Tab. XX. fig. 7.) 



Entirely pale fulvous ; head and thorax closely punctured ; elytra finely punctured, a dorsal vitta pale 



testaceous. 

 Length 1^ line. 



Hab. Mexico, Tuxtla (coll. Salle). 



Of this species three specimens are before me ; from all others noticed here they 

 are distinguished by their pale colour and the closely punctured head and thorax ; the 

 antennae are rather short, the third and fourth joints are equal in length, and the 

 terminal ones more or less fuscous ; the elytral pale vitta is narrow, very slightly curved 

 inwards at its middle, and placed nearer the sutural than the lateral margins ; in one of 

 the specimens this vitta is scarcely visible. This species is certainly distinct from any 

 other described here, but may be identical with S. pallidula, Boh. The author makes, 

 however, no mention of an elytral pale band, and unless his specimen was immature I 

 must separate the present species. 



