1246 COLEOPTEEA 



a little coarser near the eyes ; antennae inserted before the middle, 

 red or fulvous, scape rather slender, gradually thickened and curved, 

 second joint of the funiculus nearly as long as, but much narrower 

 than, the first, club rather large, quite oval. 



Fern. Bostrum slender, parallel-sided, finely punctate ; apical 

 margins of elytra very slightly thickened. 



Another of the P. sharpianum group, but liable to be mistaken 

 for Diocdimorpka dehile. 



Length, If lines ; breadth, quite ^ line. 



Howick. One pair. 



2194. P. punctatissimuni, n.s. Narrow, transversely con- 

 vex, almost quite cylindrical, rough-looking, subopaque ; dark-red, 

 nearly piceous, elytra and legs paler, antenna red ; sparingly clothed 

 with inconspicuous slender hairs. 



Bostruvi moderately stout, more than halt the length of the 

 thorax, much contracted between the antennae and eyes ; closely, 

 almost rugosely, punctured, the punctures larger and more distant 

 near the eyes ; the head narrower immediately behind the eyes than 

 it is near the thoracic margin, this portion shining and nearly 

 smooth, it is subglobose underneath. Eijes more abruptly promi- 

 nent behind than in front. AntemnB inserted behind the middle, 

 short and rather thick, scape short ; club ovate, distinct. Thorax 

 much longer than broad, gradually but considerably narrowed towards 

 the front, ixiuch constricted there, moderately rounded near the 

 base ; it is rather coarsely, closely, and almost rugosely (longitu- 

 dinally) punctured, the punctures becoming finer in front of the 

 constriction. Elytra cylindric, about as long as the rest of the body 

 (rost. inch), not broader than the widest part of the thorax, a little 

 explanate near the apices, with a distinct sutural gap behind ; they 

 are punctate-striate, the groove rather deep, the punctures rather 

 close and moderately coarse ; interstices narrow, somewhat rugose, 

 their serial punctures distant. Underside with fine btit distinct 

 yellow hairs ; with coarse distant punctures, closer on the proster- 

 num, and those on the sutures of the intermediate abdominal seg- 

 ments causing the front margins to appear crenulate. 



Fem. Eostrum more slender, shining, and finely punctate. 



This is one of a peculiar group of species; the others are Nos. 

 908, 1297, 1299, 1300, 1301, and Dr. Sharp's P. j^orcatimi. They 

 are narrow, subopaque, dark-red or piceous, coarsely sculptured, 

 and with an obvious excision or gap at the extremity of the elytra, 

 at the suture. 



This is smaller than P. 2^orcatum, and maybe distinguished there- 

 from by the presence of fine hairs and interstitial punctures. I have 

 some examples from Otago agreeing with Dr. Sharp's description of 

 P. porcatum, but they are not hairless, and, besides, have fine inter- 

 stitial punctures ; I have, therefore, labelled them as varieties of 

 No. 908. 



Length, Ih lines ; breadth, nearly f line. 



Howick. 



