SYMPIEZOMIAS. 167 



127. Sympiezomias cretaceus, Fst. 



Sympiezomias cretaceus, Faust,* Deut. Ent. Zeit. 1897, p. 340. 



Colour black, with iinifonn chalky-white scaling in perfect 

 specimens, but generally with the dorsal parts more or less 

 abraded. 



Head convex, with scattei'ed deep punctation. liostrum plane 

 above. Protlwrax n little broader than long in both sexes, with 

 coarse confluent punctation on the disk, the interspaces granulate, 

 the apical margin almost vertically truncate laterally. Elytra not 

 impressed on the declivity, the basal margin strongly raised, the 

 humeral fold distinct, the apices rounded in the 6, separately 

 pointed but not truly mucronate in the $ , the dorsal outline 

 very convex, deepest near the middle and gradually sloping 

 behind, rather deeply punctato-striate, the intervals slightly con- 

 vex and with short curved setae. 



Length, 6-6| mm. ; breadth, 2|-3 mm. 



Bombay : N. Kanara {T. li. D. Bell). Madras : Bangalore, 

 3000 ft. (Ind. Mus.); Pondicherry ; Madura (C. Sowers Smith — 

 type); Bailur Forest, Coimbatore {T. F. liamahrishna) ; ]S"ilgiri 

 Hills (//. L. Andrnves). 



Types (S § in the Dresden Museum. 



128. Sympiezomias decipiens, sp. uov. 



Colour black, witli dense sandy-grey or greenish-grey scaling. 



Very closely allied to S. cretaceus, Fst., from which it differs as 

 follows : — 



Rostrum with the central furrow relatively shorter. Prothorux 

 as long as broad in the S • Elytra with the humeral fold slightly 

 more prominent, the intervals less convex, the dorsal outline also 

 less convex, deepest near the base, then gradually sloping back- 

 wards and becoming abruptly steeper behind, the apices in the $ 

 each with a distinct short mucx'o. The sette on the two basal 

 ventral segments are longer and finer. The male organ has 

 much finer and less distinct surface sculpturing, and the spatula 

 is very differently shaped, all its edges being raised, so that it 

 has the shape of an elongate spoon, with the apex broadly rounded ; 

 whereas in ;S'. cretaceus the spatula is very short and sharply 

 pointed, and the edges are not raised. 



Length, 5|-G mm. ; breadth, 2-2^ mm. 



Madras : JNTilgiri Hills (Sir G. Hampson — types) ; Kallar, 

 1000 ft., Pillur, 3000 ft., and Bhavani Valley, 3000 ft., Nilgiris 

 (E. L. Andreives); Hulikal, 60U0 ft., Nilgiris (Caj>t. A. K. Weld 

 Downing) ; injuring young cinchona trees, Kukal Orange Valley, 

 Nilgiris ; Pirmaad, Travancore (Mrs. R. S. Imray). 



129. Sympiezomias sulphuratus, sp. uov. 



Colour black, dorsally with more or less thin grey scaling, 



