BEACHYACANTHA. — HTPEEASPIS. 191 



The Bugaba examples, of which there are about a dozen, have the dark markings of 

 a pitchy-red colour. 



HYPERASPIS. 



Hyperaspis, Chevrolat, in D'Orbigny's Diet. univ. d'Hist. Nat. vi. p. 780 (1849) ; Redtenbaeher, 

 Germar's Zeitschr. v. p. 122; Mulsant, Spec. Col. Trim, secur. p. 649; Chapuis, Gen. Col. 

 xii. p. 229 ; Crotch, Rev. Coccin. p. 213. 



Cleothera, Mulsant, Spec. Col. Trim, secur. p. 541. 



Hinda, Mulsant, loc. cit. p. 518. 



Hyperaspis differs from Brachyacantha in having the front tibiae unarmed ; in some 

 species the front tibiae are angularly widened, but they cannot be termed " denticulate." 

 The abdomen in the male is impressed and fossulate in some species, while in others it 

 appears not to be so. 



A very large number of species must be referred to the genus — the typical species 

 (H. reppensis) and a few others are European, a few are Asiatic or African, but by far 

 the larger number of those described are from America, where the genus has an ex- 

 tensive range, from Lake Superior to Brazil. About 168 species have been described. 

 I have seen no species from the far East or from Australia which can properly be 

 referred to this genus, but in Africa it appears to be distributed over the whole 

 continent. The species are generally of small size. 



Section A. Front tibice externally compressed, and with a foliate expanded edge and 

 an angular projection before the apex. 6 with the abdomen impressed. 



1. Hyperaspis cercyonoides. (Tab. x. figg. 21, 22.) 



Oblongo-ovata, picea, nitida ; creberrime, minute, distincte punctata ; eapite, prothorace (basi prsetermisso), 

 pedibus elytrorumque marginibus flayo-testaceis ; prothoracis basi, elytrorum disco nigris. Long. 3-4 

 millim. ^ * 



Var. a. Elytrorum disco sanguineo, singulis plagia nigra ssepe ante apicem confluente. 



Var. 3. Elytris disco sanguineo, flavo-marginatis, juxta callo humerali fusco-maculatis. 



Hab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui 2500 to 6000 feet (Champion). 



Head and thorax yellow or blood-red, the base of the latter having a black transverse 

 patch, which is indeterminate in front, shading off there into red, or sometimes divided 

 almost to its base by a red line. Elytra margined with yellow or blood-red, the apex 

 very widely, so as to appear like a spot, their disc very variable in colour — wholly 

 black, or black with a blood-red oblong spot from the base along the suture to the 

 middle, or with this spot occupying all the sutural region and joining the apicai 

 yellow margin : in some specimens they are red, with a yellow margin and two or 

 three fuscous dots near the humerus ; in others, again, they are entirely rich castaneous- 

 red, with a dark spot near the apex on the suture, or even without any marking or 

 border. The sterna are pitchy-black, the abdomen pitchy. 



