NEOBROTICA AND RELATED GENERA — BLAKE 273 



29. Each elytron with 4 spots (not counting dark scutellum) . 



pentaspilota, new species (p. 299) 

 Each elytron with more than 4 spots 30 



30. Each elytron with 5 spots (not including dark scutellum) 31 



Each elytron with 6 spots or more 33 



3L A large spot in middle near base and a small spot below humeral spot. 



decimsignata, new species (p. 297) 

 No large median spot near base or small spot below humeral spot ... 32 



32. Large, claws with a long inner tooth . . quinquepunctata (Jacoby) (p. 300) 

 Smaller, claws without inner tooth schausi, new species (p. 27 5) 



33. Each elytron with 6 spots 34 



Each elytron with 7 spots 35 



34. Strongly costate sexmaculata Jacoby (p. 293) 



Feebly costate tampicensis, new species (p. 295) 



35. Elytral punctures contiguous. . . . matamorasensis, new species (p. 294) 

 Elytral punctures not contiguous pluristicta Fall (p. 294) 



Neobrotica variabilis Jacoby 



Figures 1, 2 



Neobrotica variabilis Jacoby, in Godman and Salvin, Biologia Centrali-Americana, 

 Coleoptera, vol. 6, pt. 1, p. 572, 1887; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 286, 1889. 

 [Not variabilis.] 



About 7 mm. in length, elongate oblong oval, somewhat shining, the 

 elytra indistinctly aliitaceous and semistriately punctate between the 

 faint costae; pale yellow brown with the head piceous, the lower front 

 of head brownish, antennae with the intermediate joints faintly brown- 

 ish, elytra with piceous markings about the scutellum, on humeri, and 

 along side, curving about towards the suture, and a narrow, somewhat 

 curved apical band. 



Head with the interocular space approximately half width of head, 

 occiput piceous, the front reddish brown. Antennae pale with joints 

 five to eight brownish and the tip of the terminal joint dark. Pro- 

 thorax with rounded sides and well defined transverse sulcus, finely 

 and not densely punctate, pale yellowish brown. Scutellum brownish. 

 Elytra wider in apical half, indistinctly alutaceous, the punctation 

 tending to be striate between the feebly marked costae. In the type, 

 a piceous marking from humerus down along side about one-thkd the 

 length of the elytra, then cur^dng across to the suture and nearly 

 meeting a scutellar dark marking that extends shortly down the suture; 

 in the apical half a somewhat cm"ved piceous marking. In the 

 variety, the markings in basal half of the elytra are broken up into a 

 humeral dark spot, a dark area about the scutellum, and two spots 

 across the elytron before the middle, and in the apical half a rather broad 

 semilunate dark marking. Body beneath with the breast dark, rest 

 of the undersurface pale, legs pale, with outside of tibiae brownish in 

 the type, and in the variety the tibiae and tarsi dark. Length of type 

 7 mm., width 3.5 mm. 



