Mr. A. Murray on Coleopt era from Old Calabar. 357 



each side in front, the impressions meeting between the eyes so as 

 to leave a shght elevation like a fiat nose, broadest in front ; tips 

 of the mandibles dark. Thorax broad, punctate, with the margins 

 edged, bi-impressed on each side of the middle of the base; base 

 slightly emarginate, middle portion straight, and with a slight ten- 

 dency to project backwards, as in Lebia, and the posterior angles 

 curved very slightly backwards; within the posterior angles 

 is an elongated fovea or flattened hollow extending nearly half- 

 way up along the margin. Scutellum broad, very nearly rounded, 

 so as to look like a small segment of a circle ; but the rounding 

 is not quite perfect ; it might be resolved into a five-sided figure 

 with the angles rounded, of which the base occupies the anterior 

 side. Elytra not quite twice the length of the thorax, but very 

 nearly so, roughly punctate-striate, the strise not reaching the 

 apex nor the margin, both of which are closely and rugosely 

 punctate; the interstices lightly punctate; the sutural strise 

 deepest on each side of the suture near the scutellum, and there 

 closely punctate ; the sides decline suddenly and nearly verti- 

 cally, and there is a high-raised sharp edge. Abdomen with 

 five segments, of which the first two are short and less firm in 

 texture than the rest, the two next longer and equal to each 

 other, and the last longest ; above, the four last segments only 

 are seen* ; the three last are strongly acicularly punctate, and 

 have a raised elevation a short space within the side, and extend- 

 ing across the base of the segment, making a short, projecting, 

 more raised sort of tooth or angle at its marginal angle or termi- 

 nation ; the second appears scarcely punctate, and this elevation 

 is wanting in it. Under side and legs punctate, middle of abdo- 

 minal segments and under side of thighs nearly smooth. 



2. B. niger, mihi. 

 Precedenti valde affinis, sed major, niger et ubique magis fortiter 



punctatus. 

 Long. 4 lin., lat. 1-J lin. 



Very closely allied to the preceding, but larger, wholly black, 

 and with the punctation throughout coarser, and every charac- 

 ter somewhat exaggerated or better defined. 



I have hesitated whether to give this as a variety of the pre- 

 ceding or as a diff'erent species, but have come to the conclu- 

 sion that it is to be viewed as distinct. I have received only 

 two specimens of each ; the characters, such as they are, are 

 constant in both ; and although I can find no better nor more 



* It is possible that in life only the three last are seen ; they are of a 

 firmer texture, are punctate, and have the raised margin. It is therefore 

 probably due to the relaxation of the connecting tissues, caused by my 

 specimens having come home in spirits, that the second segment is par- 

 tially seen from above in them. 



