188 M. JAOOBT 



middle, the surface convex, impunctate, bluish black, with a 

 transverse slightly sinuate groove , extending to the sides , the 

 basal margin produced at the middle , elytra wider than the 

 thorax, very convex and subcylindrical, the shoulders prominent, 

 the punctuation fine and arranged in rather irregular closely 

 approached rows, legs robust, obscure fulvous or flavous, all 

 the tibiae armed with a minute spine ; the metatarsus of the 

 posterior legs as long as the following two joints together. 



This very small species forms one of a group of similarly 

 structured Halticinae having neither the characters of Haltica 

 nor entirely those of Hermaeop/w</a, the thorax differing in shape 

 from either genus, there is also an absence of the longitudina' 

 groove which limits the transverse thoracic sulcus, as seen in 

 the European species of ffermaeophagaj but the very small spine 

 at the apex of the anterior tibiae places the insect with more 

 right in the latter genus. The present species may be known 

 by its small size and the entirely flavous legs ; it is closely 

 allied to H. smithij Jac. from the W. Indian islands which name 

 must however be changed on account of //. smithi, Jac. (Biolog. 

 Centr. Amer.) ; I therefore alter the name to //. insularis. 



14. Hermaeophaga nigrita, sp. n. — Black, the basal joints of 

 the antennae and the legs flavous , thorax impunctate , deeply 

 transversely grooved at the base, the groove sinuate, elytra very 

 finely and closely punctured in semiregular rows. 



Length 2 7 8 mill. 



Head black, impunctate, deeply obliquely grooved between the 

 eyes, clypeus strongly raised in shape of a triangular acute ridge, 

 eyes large, antennae extending to the base of the elytra, fla- 

 vous, the apical joints slightly stained with fuscous, basal joint 

 elongate and thickened, the second and following joints short 

 and of nearly equal length, thorax about one half broader than 

 long, the sides straight at the base, rounded and narrowed 

 towards the apex, the disc convex, impunctate or with a few 

 microscopically fine punctures, black, very shining, the base 

 with a deep sinuate transverse sulcus, which is bounded at the 

 sides by a perpendicular groove , the basal margin but very 



