XANTMECUS. ^;3 



This large and handsome species is said to damage young tea- 

 shoots in Cachar. 



40. Tanymecus obscurus, sp. nov. 



Colour black, with dense uniform grey scaling, the underparts 

 rather paler. 



Aw/es moderately prominent and short oval, liostrum with a 

 small apical emarghiatioii, impressed in the middle and with a 

 short central carina; tlie mandibles not prominent, the left one 

 without a transverse impression. Antenme with the scape slightly 

 >exceeding the posterior margin of the eye, the two basal joints 

 of tlie f unicle equal. Prothora.v as long as broad, its sides almost 

 parallel from the base to beyond the middle, then rapidly narrow- 

 ing to the apex, the upper surface with fine confluent punctation 

 and a faint central carina in the apical half. Elytra broadest at 

 the shoulders, which are very sloping, strongly acuminate behind, 

 the apices mucronate and with a tuft of short hairs ; with shallow 

 but distinctly punctured striae, stria 9 not impressed, 1-3 slightly 

 deeper at the apex, the posterior callus absent ; scaling dense, 

 the setae very short and depressed. Lega black, with dense 

 scaling, the tibiae not denticulate internally in the S . 



5 unknown. 



Length, 15 mm. ; breadth, 5| mm. 



Bengal. 



Type S iu the Oxford Museum. 



There is in the Indian Museum a small male from Kulu, 

 Punjab, which is apparently referable to this species, but it is in 

 too poor condition to be identified with certainty. 



41. Tanymecus simplex, sp. nov. (fig. 24,_/). 



Colour black, with sparse grey scaling, which sometimes forms 

 •a narrow denser stripe at the sides of the prothorax ; the scutellum 

 paler than the elytra. 



Eyes rather prominent and almost circular, liostrum shal- 

 lowly emarginate at tiie apex and with a fine central carina ; 

 the mandibles rather prominent, the left one with a trans- 

 verse dorsal impression. Aiitermce with the scape reaching 

 the posterior margin of the eye, the two basal joints of the 

 funicle subequal, or with 1 slightly longer than 2. Protliorax as 

 long as or slightly longer than broad, its sides rounded, broadest 

 before the middle, the apex narrower than the base ; the upper 

 surface with comparatively coarse confluent punctation and \\\t\\ 

 ■a very short, smooth central line. Elytra roundly narrowed 

 behind and scarcely mucronate at the apex, finely puuctato- 

 striate, the strife not deeper at the apex, stria 9 with a deep 

 longitudinal impression towards the base in the $ , not impressed 

 in the S , the posterior callus faint ; the scaling not dense enough 

 to hide the gloss of the elvtra, the setae short, dense and 



g2 



