398 Mr. H. W. Bates's descriptions of 



M. Iceta, Hope, Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. xi, 1843, p. 368 

 partim ? 



The coloui- varies betAveeu bright brassy-green, sometimes 

 verging towards golden, especially at the apex of the elytra, 

 and greenish-blue. The neighbourhood of the suture is slightly 

 depressed. There are always traces of short black velvety pile, 

 chiefly on the disc of the thorax, at the middle of the base, and 

 along the sides and suture of the elytra ; but it is never dense 

 enough to obscure the bright metallic colour of the integument ; 

 the latter is more strongly jounctured, even along the glabrous 

 central longitudinal line, where a few sparse points are visible, 

 the rest of the surface, like the disc of the thorax, being exces- 

 sively minutely puuctulate-rugulose. The transverse ridge which 

 bounds posteriorly the elevated disc of the thorax, is vertical 

 (as in the foregoing species), but depressed in the middle. The 

 fifth ventral segment $ is normal in size and shape, i.e., not 

 notably narrowed and elongated, and the apex is very slightly 

 sinuated in the middle. 



Cameroons River. 



Mecaspis chnjsogaste.r. 



Viridi-a^nea, elytris vittis jaturatioribus duabus velutinis, 

 altera a medio basi usque ad apicem suturalem extensa, altera 

 breviori sublaterali, reliquis liueis longitudinalibus nitidis ])imc- 

 tato-rugulosis : abdomine igneo-aureo resplendenti : antennis 

 pedibusque nigris, tarsis pectoreque argenteo-sericeis. Long. 

 13 lin. 9 . 



The heaxl is thickly punctured in front and golden-green. 

 The thorax is transverse as in the other species, strongly sulcate- 

 constricted in front and behind, with the middle part elevated 

 and nearly plane, this part has a scarcely perceptible pile and is 

 throughout finely alutaceous and moderately shuiing. 



Cameroons. 



Mecaspis subvestita. 



Saturate cterulea vel viridi-cyanea, supra plagis nigro-velutiuis 

 exceptis glabra, antennis pedibusque nigi'is, tarsis argenteo-pilosis, 

 pcctore abdominisque lateribus subtiliter argenteo-sericeis: capite 

 puuctr^lato : thorace antice et postice sulcato-constricto, Isevi, 

 disco elevato subplano : elytris a basi usque ad apicem attenuatis, 

 subtiliter alutaceis, regione suturali per totam longitudinem late 

 depressa. Long. 12 lin. $ , '^ . 



