448 PHYTOPHAGA. 



Var. Antennae and the anterior tibiae piceous. 



Length 3-4 lines. 



Head strongly and closely punctured, clothed with a few yellowish hairs ; the frontal tubercles scarcely raised, 

 but divided by a deep groove ; the clypeus strongly raised in front ; the palpi robust ; antennae two thirds 

 the length of the body in the male, shorter in the female, fulvous, the apices of the terminal joints 

 obscurely tinged with fuscous, the third joint longer than the first, the four terminal ones shortened ; 

 thorax subquadrate, twice as broad as long in the male, broader in the female, fulvous, shining, thinly 

 clothed with yellowish hairs, the sides nearly straight, the anterior angles acute, not oblique, the surface 

 obsoletely depressed near the base, very minutely punctured ; scutellum fulvous ; elytra with a very obso- 

 lete depression below the base, bright metallic blue, clothed with thin but rather long whitish pubescence, 

 the punctuation very distinct anteriorly, but nearly disappearing towards the apices; posterior tibiae armed 

 with a double spur ; claws bifid. 



Hab. Panama, Bugaba (Champion). 



I. panamensis is easily separated from the preceding species by the shining, not 

 granulate, thorax, and by the colour of the head. In the male insect the posterior 

 femora extend nearly to the apices of the elytra ; in the female they are shorter. 



OCTOGONOTES. 



Octogonotes, Drapiez, Ann. gen. Sc. phys. Brux. iii. p. 184 (1819) ; Clark, Cat. of Halticid^ p. 158; 

 Chevrol. d'Orbigny, Diet. d'Hist. Nat. p. 716; Dejean, Cat. 3rd ed. p. 407. 



The species placed in Octogonotes are nearly all of large size, and distinguished by the 

 angulate (though not eight-sided) thorax and the generally close and brightly coloured 

 pubescence. The claviform palpi, the double spur at the apices of the posterior tibiae, 

 and the appendiculate claws, further distinguish this genus. 



The six species described by Clark are all from Tropical South America ; we have 

 now to record two from Central America. 



1. Octogonotes rufipennis. (Tab. XXVI. fig. 10.) 



Below testaceous, above rufous ; antennae and the anterior tibiae fulvous ; head and thorax closely granulate- 

 punctate ; elytra distinctly punctate-striate anteriorly, clothed with thin yellowish pubescence. 

 Length 3 lines. 



Head very strongly and closely punctured, especially near the sides; the lower part of the face testaceous; 

 palpi but moderately incrassate; antennae half the length of the body, the third joint slender and the 

 longest, the two following joints nearly equal, the rest shorter and of equal length, pale or darker fulvous • 

 thorax twice as broad as long, the sides forming a distinct angle immediately before the middle, the 

 anterior angles acutely pointed, the surface with a very shaUow depression at the sides near the base 

 rugosely and closely punctured, like the head; scutellum testaceous ; elytra with a very obsolete depres- 

 sion below the base, strongly punctured anteriorly, the apices nearly impunctate, the punctuation arranged 

 (as usual) m rows but not in striae, the interstices near the sides slightly raised, the entire surface tbinly 

 clothed with fulvous pubescence ; posterior tibiae armed with a double spur ; claws appendiculate. 

 Hab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Champion). 



The entirely rufous colour of the upper side, in connection with the rugosely punc- 

 tured head and thorax, well distinguish 0. rufipennis from its allies. 



