INSECTA MADERENSIA. 113 



O. roundisli- ovate (being but very slightly wider in front than behind), convex, shining, and black, — 

 with a just distinguishable greenish tinge. Head and prothorax bright rufo-testaceous. Elytra 

 obscurely substriated, the striae (as in the other species) vanishing in front, the two on each 

 which are nearest the suture being more distinct than the rest : their apex more or less pale 

 testaceous. Antenna and legs testaceous, or rufo-testaceous, — being usually only a shade paler 

 than the head and prothorax. 



A large and most elegant OUbms, and at once distinguislied by its compara- 

 tively hemispheric form, by its bright rufo-testaceous head and prothorax, and by 

 its deep black elytra, — which have a just perceptibly greenish tinge on their 

 sui'face, and of which the extreme apex is alone pale. It is apparently exceedingly 

 rare, or at any rate local, occurring principally at high elevations, and in remote 

 spots, within the sylvan districts. It would seem to be confined to the flowers of 

 the Cineraria aurita, the j^m-ple clusters of wliich are so conspicuous on the damp 

 perpendicular rocks of lofty altitudes. I have captiu-ed it, sparingly, near the 

 head of the Ribeu'o de Santa Luzia in May ; and, more abundantly, in the upland 

 region of the Cruzinhas, diu'ing Jvily. 



90. Olibrus bicolor. 

 O, obovatus subsenescenti-nigropiceus nitidissimus, elytris substriatis, apicem versus obscui'e diluto- 



rufescentibus, singuli striis duabus suturam versus distinctioribus, antennis pedibusque subdiluto- 



testaceis. 

 Long. corp. lin. 1^-1|^. 



Splusridium bicolor, Fab. Iltit. Si/st. i. 82 (1792). 

 Fhalacrus bicolor, Sturm, Deutsch. Mia, ii. 77 (1807). 



, Gvll. Ins. Suee. iii. 431 (1813). 



Olibrus bicolor, Erich. Mit. der Ins. Deutsch. iii. 116 (1848). 



Habitat in floribus Maderaj, bine inde, tempore vernali, vidgatissimus. 



O. obovate (being distinctly wider in front than behind), convex, exceedingly brilUantly polished, and 

 more or less of a dark rufo-piceous, or piceous-black hue, — with a very perceptibly seneous tinge. 

 Elytra obscm-ely substriated, the two striae on each nearest to the suture being alone tolerably 

 distinct : more or less obscurely, and very gradually dull brownish-rufescent, or somewhat chest- 

 nut, towards the apex. Antenna and legs dull testaceous. 



There can be no doubt but that the present insect and the following one ap- 

 proach each other very closely, and it is not Avithout hesitation that I have treated 

 them as separate. For some time indeed I had considered them to be but modi- 

 fications of the O. bicolor ; nevertheless a careful comparison of a very large series 

 of specimens has subsequently induced me to believe that they are truly distinct, 

 since there is no difficulty whatsoever in discriminating them in a general way, 

 even though it is equally certain that about two examples out of every forty which 

 I have examined are doubtful, and might apparently be referred to either. StiU, 



Q 



