326 Mr. F. P. Pascoe on some new or little-hnoivn 



forming a naiTow club. Mentum large, transverse. Prothorax longer 

 than broad, subquadrangiilar, narrowed behind, sinuated in front, longi- 

 tudinally sulcated. Elytra subdepressed, carinated, scarcely broader 

 than the prothorax, and slightly rounded at the side. Legs rough, 

 moderately robust; tibiae fusiform; tarsi narrow; the claw-joint as 

 long as the rest together ; pro- and mesostema simple ; post-intercoxal 

 plate broadly truncate anteriorly. 



Notwithstanding the small size of this insect compared with 

 Zopherus and Nosoderma, there can be little hesitation, I think, in 

 placing it near those anomalous genera. Judging from the exami- 

 nation of the oral organs made in situ, they appear to offer only a 

 slight modification of those of Nosoderma, the mentum, however, 

 being considerably larger and in great measui'e hiding the palpi and 

 base of the maxillae, the part between its lateral margin and the 

 insertion of the antenna offering a deep cavity, as in that genus, for 

 the reception of its basal joints when that organ is in repose. The 

 propectus has no antennary canal at its side as in Zopherus, in this 

 respect agreeing better with Nosoderma ; on the other hand, the 

 latter has only a ten-joiated antenna, but this is again modified by 

 the fact that N. obcordatum, Kirby, has eleven. 



Rhypasma pusillum. (PI. XVI. fig. 3.) 



R. obscm-e testaceo-brunneum ; prothorace trisulcato ; elytris disco tricos- 

 tatis, costa intermedia abbreviata. 



Hab. Para. 



Didl testaceous brown, more or less sprinkled with a semicrystalline 

 exudation? head with numerous small granules, and having the 

 appearance of being originally covered with an earthy crust ; antennae 

 covered with granulations, each tipped with a fine hair; prothorax 

 with two curved longitudinal costse on the disk, nearly meetiag ante- 

 riorly, the lateral margins flattened and resembling the costas, and like 

 them crested with a number of small closely set granules, the spaces 

 between the costge and the margins respectively forming three broad 

 shallow gi-ooves ; scutellum transverse, subquadrate ; elytra roimded at 

 the shoulder and at the apex, the disk Avith three strongly crenulated 

 costse, the outer and inner united near the apex, the intermediate 

 ceasing at two-thirds the length of the others, the external margin also 

 forming a crenulated border, resembling the costee, the spaces between 

 deeply and coarsely pimctured ; legs covered with smaU asperities and 

 cilia ; body beneath rufous-brown, covered with numerous granulations. 

 Length 2 lines. 



With reference to what is probably an exudation (renewable 

 perhaps at the pleasiu-e of the animal), it has the appearance under 

 the microscope of small particles of brown sugar. 



