SCELIDA.— SCELIDOPSIS. 



609 



converging in front, the surface obsoletely depressed, impunctate ; scutellum fulvous or piceous ; elytra 

 with the basal portion raised, very bright metallic blue or greenish, with a few extremely fine punctures; 

 underside metallic blue, the sides of the breast pubescent ; legs fulvous; the first joint of the posterior 

 tarsi as long as the following three joints together. 



Eab. Mexico, Tuxtla, Cordova, Vera Cruz (Salle), Oaxaca (Edge). 



Easily separated from any other species of Scelida by the metallic under surface, and 

 by the sculpture and polish and beautiful blue colour of the elytra. 

 We figure a specimen from Oaxaca. 



SCELIDOPSIS. 



Body elongate; antenna filiform, the third joint much longer than the second; thorax subquadrate, longi- 

 tudinally and transversely depressed ; elytra opaque, their epipleurse broad and extending to the apex ; 

 legs slender, unarmed ; the first joint of the posterior tarsi longer than the following three joints together ; 

 claws appendiculate ; the anterior coxal cavities open. 



Type Scelidopsis rufo-femorata. 



Scelidqpsis is evidently closely allied to the genus Scelida, on account of the unarmed 

 tibiae, the long posterior metatarsus, and the open anterior coxal cavities; there is, 

 however, a great difference in the shape and structure of the thorax, the latter in 

 Scelidopsis being more quadrate and not constricted at the base. The surface of the 

 thorax is (at least in one sex) deeply marked with longitudinal and transverse depres- 

 sions, calling to mind the Eastern genus Sastra ; and the elytral epipleurae are much 

 broader and more concave than in Scelida, in which they are very narrow. The opaque 

 and impunctate elytra seems to be another character of Scelidqpsis. 



I include three species in this genus, all from Central America. 



1. Scelidopsis rufo-femorata. 



Rufous, the antennas, knees, tibiae, and tarsi black; thorax impunctate; elytra opaque, impunctate, dark 

 purplish. 



Length 2| lines. 



Head impunctate, rufous; the frontal tubercles strongly raised; antennae more than half the length of the 

 body, black, the third and fourth joints slender, nearly equal; thorax subquadrate, the sides nearly 

 straight, scarcely narrowed at the base, the surface shining, impunctate, with two rounded foveas near 

 the anterior margin and a deep transverse sulcation near the base, the sulcation limited at the sides by a 

 deep oblique groove which extends nearly halfway up each side of the disc ; scutellum fulvous ; elytra 

 entirely opaque, without any punctuation (extremely finely granulate when seen under a strong lens), of a 

 purplish or bluish- violaceous tint; underside and the femora (with the exception of the apex of the latter) 

 rufous or fulvous. 

 Eab. Mexico, Cordova, Toxpam (Salle). 



2. Scelidopsis subcostata. (Tab. XXXIII. fig. 2.) 



Black, the head, antennse, and thorax rufous ; elytra opaque, impunctate, dark bluish, with a short costa at 



the sides. 

 Length 3 lines. 



Eab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Champion). 



biol. CENTR.-AMEE., Coleopt, Vol. VI. Pt. 1, February 1888. 4 i 



