587 



Elytrurus samoensis sp- n. 



Black, nnifornily and densely clothed with pale sandy, dark grey or 

 greenish grey scaling, often with a slight coppery reflection, especially 

 on the legs. 



Female. Head with sliallow confluent jninctures that are -concealed 

 by the scaling and a deep frontal fovea; eyes mnch flattened, o\al. 

 Rostrnm a little longer than the head, strongly dilated from base to 

 apex, the sides straiglit ; the dorsal area also dilated from base to apex, 

 eonflnently juinctate and trieostate as far as the insertion of tlie antennae, 

 the apical part shiny and sparsely ininctate. ' Anicnnae red brown, the 

 scape rather sparsely setose and without true scales; the funiele with 

 two basal joints eqnal, the remainder subequal inter ae ; the basal joint 

 of the club as long as the next two together. Prothorax as long as its 

 basal wiilth, the sides subparallel from the base nearly to the middle and 

 thence roundly narrowed to the apex; the dorsum gently sloping anteriorly, 

 rather sparsely granulate on the disk but not at the sides, with a broad 

 shallow longitudinal imjiression, with sometimes a trace of a low median 

 carina. Eli/fra broadly ovate, widest before the middle and rapidly nar- 

 rowing to a fairly sharji jioint; the dorsal outline . moderately convex 

 longitudinally and transversely, the posterior declivity sloping compara- 

 tively gradually to the apex; the dorsum without distinct striae, even 

 when denuded, but irregularly set with minute flat inconspicuous granules; 

 the lateral margins very sharply inflexed, thus forming a more or less 

 obtuse lateral ridge, along which the grannies are more noticeable; the 

 inflexed margins with a few very distinct oblique striae and rows of 

 granules. Sternum and venter densely clothed witli narrow lanceolate 

 scales and with sparse short ol)liquely raised setae. Lef/s : front coxae 

 broadly impressed in front, the upjier anterior margin roundly i)rodueed ; 

 the femora witli sjiarse recumbent setae (mostly arising from small 

 grannies), those im the lower surface rather longer and obliquely raised; 

 the front tibiae rather strongly incurved in the apical third, finely den- 

 ticulate internally and there armed with a row of transparent spines; the 

 hind tibiae almost straight and very feebly denticulate internally. Length, 

 12-14.25 mm.; breadth, 5.6-7.2 mm. 



Habitat. — Samoan Islands. 1876 (Rev. J. S. U'liitinccJ. 

 Type in the llritish Museum. 

 Described from three females. 



Elytrurus samoensis var. setiventris n. 



Agrees entirely witli the ty])ical furm, excejit that all the scales on 

 the venter and those on the median part of tlu' meso- and metasternnm 

 are setiform. 



Habitat.— Tutuila Island: One female, 760-000 feet (H. C. 

 Kellers). 



