AKT. 9 WEST INDIAN BUPEESTIDAE FISHER 79 



vertex than at the front. Pronotum wider thani long, usually 

 narrower in front than behind; base bisinuate; disk feebty convex 

 and more or less sulcate. Scutellum small and transverse. Elytra 

 rather convex, feebly lobed at base, and strongly attenuate pos- 

 teriorly; lateral margins smooth or serrate posteriorly. Sternal 

 cavity formed by the mesosternum and metasternum; mesosternum 

 divided, the lateral branches rather long and oblique; metasternum 

 truncate in front, with a shallow arcuate emargination at the mid- 

 dle, and a narrow longitudinal groove on the disk. Prosternum 

 convex, anterior margin truncate or arcuately emarginate; pros- 

 ternal process rather wide, feebly convex, and not sulcate at middle. 

 Posterior coxae slightly dilated internally; anterior margin feebly 

 sinuate; posterior margin slightly oblique. Legs slightly robust; 

 anterior and middle femora strongly swollen at middle, the pos- 

 terior pair subcylindrical ; tibiae slender and subcylindrical ; tarsi 

 broad and depressed, the first joint of posterior pair as long as the 

 following two joints united. Body rather robust, elongate, attenuate 

 in front, expanded posteriorly, and attentuate or acuminate at 

 apex. 



The species of this genus are rather numerous in numbers, and 

 are distributed throughout the Neotropical Region. Four species 

 have been recorded from the West Indies, of which, only one has 

 been seen by the writer. Pristiptera was used by Dejean (1833) for 

 four species, three of which were undescribed, and the fourth being 

 hlanda described by Fabricius from Brazil. 



The characters used in the following key are the same as those 

 used by Kerremans for separating the species of this genus. 



KEY TO THB SPECIES 



1. Lateral margin of the elytra dentate posteriorly verecunda Chevrolat. 



Lateral margin of the elytra not dentate posteriorly 2. 



2. Tibiae cyaneo-purpureis ; tarsi blackish quadricolor Chevrolat. 



Tibiae and tarsi ferrugineous or testaceous 3. 



3. Elytr;i bronzy-green, with purplish reflection erythropus (Gory). 



Elytra golden-green, with a bluish reflection pyropus Kerremans. 



HALECIA VERECUNDA Chevrolat 



Ealecia verecunda Chevrolat, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 4, vol. 7. 1807, 

 pp. 573-574 (separates pp. 149-150). — Gundlach, Contribucion a la 

 Entom. Cuba, vol. 3, pt. 5, 1891, pp. 156-157, No. 792.— Kerremans, 

 Mon. Bupr., vol. 3, 1908, p. 346. 



The following is a translation of Chevrolat's original description : 

 Elongate, gradually attenuate from behind to apex, opaque and 

 blackish-green; head punctate, rounded, longitudinally sulcate and 

 red, front and sides green; antennae black, the third joint nearly 

 as long as the first; eyes fuscous, large, and oblong; thorax moder- 

 ately convex, subquadrate, front straight, base broadly biarcuate. 



