1902.] Catalogue of the Coleoptcra of South Africa. 867 



ogival ; elytra sub-parallel, plane, not distinctly costulate, not sinuate 

 laterally ; pygidium vertical and a little convex in the male ; hind 

 legs nearly similar in both sexes, not thickened ; anterior tibiae sharply 

 bi-dentate inwardly and having an inner, slender apical spur ; claws 

 of all the legs double, unequal, the four anterior ones cleft ; tarsi 

 moderately long, joints simple with the fifth not strongly developed 

 in the male. 



The distinctive characters between this genus and Scelophysa are 

 the tri-dentate lobe of the maxillary lobe, and the slender legs which 

 have more elongated tarsal joints, and are nearly similar in both sexes. 



This South African genus includes three species. 



Key to the Species. 

 A=. Clypeus triangularly dentate in the middle in the male. 



Body covered with greenish scales in both sexes rupicola. 



Upper side of body of the male purple-red and with three 

 prothoracic bands, and one marginal one on the elytra of greenish- 

 yellow scales, the scutellum, pygidial part, and under side similarly 

 scaly; female covered with greenish-yellow scales but having 

 three bands of deeper yellow on the prothorax ; scutellum also 

 yellow oniatissivia. 



A\ Clypeus not dentate in the middle in the male. 



Upper side covered with yellowish-green scales and with slightly 

 flavescent ones underneath in both sexes virescens. 



Lepisia virescens, Pering., 

 Trans. S. Afric. Philos. Soc, vol. iv., 1888, p. 102. 

 Male : Completely covered on the upper side with minute round 

 yellowish-green scales adjoining one another, except the head ; the 

 elytra are testaceous red, but the colour of the background is hidden 

 by the scales, which on the under side are whitish with a flavescent 

 tinge, the legs are piceous red and the hind femora are scaly ; head 

 •closely scabrose, briefly tomentose except on the clypeus which is 

 straight at tip with the angles not sharp ; the prothorax is deeply 

 bi-sinuate at the base very much as in Scelophysa, and the pubescence 

 is yellow and very dense, but short ; the elytra are more attenuate 

 laterally towards the apex than the two species following, and also 

 shorter in proportion to the length of the head and prothorax taken 

 together, they have a very indistinct discoidal costule on each side, 

 and are sub-diagonally impressed longitudinally outside the humeral 

 angle ; the claws are double, unequal and cleft, except the stouter 

 posterior one. 



