DIABEOTICA. 529 



or bands either become gradually obsolete or disappear altogether ; and the two pale 

 flavous spots surrounding the darker bands (D. ornatula, Baly) also gradually disappear 

 till the entire insect is of a pale testaceous colour ; specimens of this latter form have 

 been obtained at Playa Vicente only. All possible intermediate degrees are before me, 

 while the sculpture of the elytra and other structural differences, remain the same. 

 D. fusco-maculata cannot, I believe, be a variety of D. porracea, the latter never having 

 a transverse fulvous band across the base of the elytra, and is, moreover, about double 

 the size of the present insect. Discoloration after death seems to be the principal 

 cause of the change of colour fflbm green to pale flavous. 



This species is apparently abundant throughout Central America. A variety from 

 Cerro Zunil is figured. 



62. Diabrotica scutellata. 



Piceous ; thorax pale green, bifoveolate ; elytra finely rugose and costate, green, the sides anteriorly and a 



spot near the apex flavous, the scutellum surrounded by a triangular piceous spot. 

 Length 2 lines. 



Hab. Mexico, Cordova (Salle); Guatemala, San Geronimo, Senahu, San Juan in 

 Vera Paz (Champion). 



At first sight D. scutellata seems only to be one of the many varieties of D. fusco- 

 maculata, with which it agrees in having the thorax and the elytra similarly sculp- 

 tured. The head, however, is piceous or black ; and the piceous spot surrounding 

 the scutellum and pointed at the suture behind is never present in any of the 

 numerous specimens I have examined of D. fusco-maculata ; in this latter the dark- 

 basal band is, on the contrary, narrowed near the sutural margin. 



63. Diabrotica rufo-maculata. (Tab. xxix. fig. 22.) 



Green, the head and breast rufous, the antennae (the first joint excepted) and tibiae obscure fulvous ; thorax 

 deeply bifoveolate ; elytra finely punctured and obsoletely grooved, green, the base and a spot before and 

 a transverse band below the middle rufous, the apex flavous. 



Length 3 lines. 



Head not longer than broad, the vertex impunctate, the carina acutely raised, the labrum testaceous ; antennae 

 not much shorter than the body, the first joint green, the second and third joints very short and equal ; 

 thorax subquadrate, the disc with two deep depressions, impunctate ; scutellum fulvous ; elytra obsoletely 

 longitudinally grooved, very finely punctured, green, a transverse band at the base not quite extending to 

 the lateral margin, a spot near the suture before the middle, and a narrow slightly curved transverse 

 band below the middle, rufous, the apex pale flavous; the breast fulvous, the abdomen testaceous, the 

 femora green. 



Hah. Mexico, Yolotepec (Salle). 



A single specimen, differing from the allied green-coloured species in the markings, 

 of the elytra. 



biol. cente.-amee., Coleopt., Vol. VI. Pt. 1, August 1887. 3 y 



