Phytophagnm Goleoptera from various regions. 39 



Apopyhlia elegantula, n. sp. 



Fulvous ; the apical joints of the antennae black ; vertex piceous ; thorax 

 strongly and closely punctured ; elytra metallic green, iinely rugose, the 

 lateral margins extremely narrowly fulvous. Length, 2 lines. 



Head finely rugose, fulvous ; the vertex piceous, the frontal elevations 

 broadly trigonate; labrum aad mandibles piceous ; antennae more than half 

 the length of the body, black, the basal joints fulvous, the terminal ones 

 gradually thickened, the third joint slightly longer than the fourth ; thorax 

 subquadrate slightly narrowed at the base, fulvous, the surface coarsely and 

 rather closely punctured, with a narrow central groove ; scutellum black ; 

 elytra of a tender metallic green, closely punctured, and very finely rugose ; 

 the extreme lateral margins, irom the middle to the apex, fulvous ; underside 

 and legs fulvous ; tarsi more or less darkened. 



Hah. South Africa. 



The nearly quadrate thorax, the absence of any thoracic spots 

 or band, and the very narrow fulvous margin of the elytra, 

 separate this species from. A. consanguuiea, Alld. I received two 

 specimens from the Museum at Cape Town. 



Apophylia nigritaesis, n. sp. 



Black; the basal joints of the antennae, the head, thorax and legs 

 fulvous ; elytra metallic green, closely and finely punctured ; the apex of 

 the tibiae and the tarsi black. Length, 3 lines. 



Head impunctate, the frontal elevations narrowly transverse, the carina 

 acute ; labrum piceous ; antennae about half the length of the body, filiform, 

 black, the two or three basal joints fulvous, the fourth joint distinctly longer 

 than the third ; thorax transverse, narrowed in front, the sides rounded, the 

 surface rather convex, impunctate, fulvous ; scutellum black ; elytra bright 

 metallic green, finely and closely punctured ; tibiae unarmed. 



Hab. South Africa. 



This species, of which I received some specimens from the 

 Cape Town Museum, is evidently closely allied to A. hipunctata, 

 Alld., but differs in the colour of the underside, the absence of 

 the thoracic spots, and the simply punctured — not finely rugose 

 — elytra. The colour of the head, which is fulvous, separates 

 the species from several other nearly similarly coloured species. 



Genus Idacantha, Chev. 

 There seems to exist considerable confusion in regard to this 

 genus, which has been increased by a synoptic table of the 

 species, published by M. Allard, in the French Annals of 1888. 

 In this table, species belonging to the genus Aulacophora are 

 mixed up with those of Idacantha, the principal character of 

 distinction between the two genera — the appendiculate or bifid 

 claws— having been entirely unnoticed, in spite of Von Harold's 

 explanation in the ' Coleopterologische Hefte.' Further errors 

 committed by Allard consist of giving wrong descriptions of old 

 species: — Thus Idacantha picea, Fabr., is described by Allard as 

 having black elytra, each with three fulvous spots, while 

 Fabricius's description simply gives the elytra as piceous. 



