AKT. 9 WEST INDIAN BUPRESTIDAE FISHER 147 



BUPRESTIS AFRICANS Herbst 



BupresHs apricans Hbjbbst, Nat. Syst. Ins. Kafer, vol. 9, 1801, pp. 125-126, 

 pi. 145, fig. 9.— NicoLVY and Wetss, Jouvn. N. Y, Ent. Soc, vol. 2G, 1918, 

 p. 88. 



Buprestis nigricornis Sturm, Cat. Ins. Samml., 1826, p. 105. 



Ancylochira iosci Castexnau and Gory, Mon. Bupr., vol. 2, 1838, Buprestis, 

 pp. 146-147, pi. 36, fig. 201. 



Buprestis crihripennis Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., vol. 11, 1909, p. 127. 



Male. — Oblong oval, uniformly dull cupreous-brown, sometimes 

 •with a greenish or purplish tinge; beneath purpureous or aeneous, 

 with a distinct cupreous tinge, and more shining than above. 



Head feebly convex, with a more or less elevated median carina ; 

 surface very coarsely and densely punctate, the punctures confluent, 

 and forming longitudinal rugae on the front, and rather densely 

 clothed with long recumbent cinereous hairs; epistoma broadly, but 

 feebly arcuately emarginate in front. Pronotum a little more than 

 one and one-half times as wide as long; sides variable, in same speci- 

 mens feebly, arcuately rounded and widest at middle, in others ar- 

 <.-uately attenuate from base to apical angles and strongly sinuate at 

 basal fourth ; posterior angles nearly rectangular ; anterior margin 

 arcuately emarginate, with a broadly rounded median lobe; surface 

 €oarsely and rather densely punctate, the punctures irregularly 

 I)laced and somewhat confluent at the sides and anterior margin. 

 Scutellum round, and broadly depressed at middle. Elytra a little 

 wider than pronotum at base, slightly dilated behind the humeri, 

 strongly sinuate at posterior coxae, then arcuately attenuate to the 

 tips, which are subtruncate, with a small tooth at the sutural angle ; 

 surface striato-punctate, the striae not impressed and the punctures 

 near base at least two times as large as tlie punctures on intervals; 

 intervals flat and coarsely, densely and irregularly punctate. Abdo- 

 men beneath coarsely and rather densely punctate, the punctures 

 deep and irregularly placed, and sparsely clothed with long recum- 

 bent cinereous hairs; intervals smooth; first segment not grooved at 

 middle; last segment broadly truncate and feebly sinuate at apex, 

 and without lateral teeth. Prosternum rather flat, somewhat decli- 

 vous in front, densely, coarsely punctate, and rather sparsely clothed 

 with long recumbent hairs ; anterior margin feebly sinuate ; proster- 

 nal process feebly sulcate at the middle, parallel to behind the 

 jinterior coxal cavities, then feebly attenuate to the apex, which is 

 very broadly rounded. Femora and tibia similar on all legs, the 

 anterior tibiae without a hook at apex; anterior tarsi not distinctly 

 broader than posterior ones. 



Female. — There are but slight external structural differences in 

 the sexes. The females are usually larger and broader, and the 

 last abdominal segment more broadly rounded at apex. 



Length, 16-24 mm. ; width, 6-9 mm. 



