62 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. loi 



MYOCHROUS SPINIPES. new species 



Plate 8, Figixrb 2 



About 4 mm. in length, deep brown to piceous beneath the curved 

 not closely appressed scales; pronotum dull, alutaceous, as long as 

 wide, concealing the head, sides minutely 3-toothed; elytra shining; 

 front tibiae with little trace of toothing before the apex but strongly 

 spurred at apex; middle tibiae with a conspicuous spur before the 

 apex and hind tibiae in male strongly spurred before apex. 



Head broadly rounded over occiput with a faint trace of median 

 line in some specimens ; no trace of occipital ridges, surface alutaceous, 

 punctate, covered by scales to antennal bases, space between antennal 

 sockets shining under the transversely placed sparse white scales; 

 labrum yellowish brown. Antennae pale and of the usual propor- 

 tions. Prothorax projecting over the head and concealing it, fully 

 as long as wide, rather flat with a depression behind the narrowed 

 and somewhat elevated anterior portion; sides minutely 3-toothed 

 with a strong toothing behind the eyes at apical angle and a small 

 tooth at basal angle ; surface dull, alutaceous, with moderately dense 

 round punctures ; scales not appressed but standing up in little curved 

 loops all over the surface, not very dense. Elytra shining beneath 

 the brown and white rather coarse and curved scales, the scales form- 

 ing an irregular color pattern; striate punctures dense and moder- 

 ately coarse, in some specimens a slight costa down the middle ; very 

 little basal elevation, a small transverse depression on the side below 

 the humerus. Body beneath shining through the finer, pale scales; 

 breast and first abdominal segment densely and coarsely punctate; 

 anterior tibiae with a faint trace of an inner tooth near the apex and 

 strong spurs at the apex; middle tibiae in both sexes toothed, hind 

 tibiae in males sharply spurred before the apex. Length 3.5 to 4.5 

 mm. ; width 1.5 to 2 mm. 



Tyye and paratypes. — Type male and 28 paratypes, U.S.N.M. No. 

 59302, collected on rice June 8, 1949, by L. A. Salas ; 2 paratypes in 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology. 



Type locality. — Venezuela: Acarigua, Portuguesa, collected on 

 rice June 8, 1949, by L. A. Salas. 



ReTYiarks. — The spurs on the middle and hind tibiae shortly before 

 the apex distinguish this species from all others in the genus. The 

 anterior tibiae lack the usually well-developed spur before the apex. 

 This peculiarity together with the small size and the long prothorax 

 make the species easily recognized. A good series of beetles was sent 

 to the U. S. Department of Agriculture from Venezuela with the note 

 that they were damaging growing rice. 



