44 Mr. D. Sharp's Contribidioiis to the 



describe does not accord very closely in all its characters 

 ■with our European species, as will be seen on com})aring 

 the observations I have made at the conclusion of the 

 description of P. con finis uith the generic characters of 

 J'lacusa, as indicated by Key (Hist. Kat. Col. Brev. 

 Al. Bol. p. 103). I have not ascertained -whether tlie 

 labial j)alpi of this niinnte insect are two- or three-jointed. 



1. Placusa conjinis, n. sp. Angustula, subopaca, 

 nigricans, antennai'um articulo ])rimo, pedibus elytrisque 

 sordide testaceis, his basi lateribusque fuscis ; supra crcbre 

 subtiliterqne punctata. Long. corp. '^ lin. 



Antenna) short, rather slender, blackish, with the base 

 indistinctly paler ; 3rd joint small, much shorter than 

 2nd; 4th and 5th smaller than those following; 6 — 10 

 differing but little from one another, transverse; 1 1th small. 

 Head small, a good deal narrower than the thorax, 

 blackish, finely and not densely punctured. Thorax 

 small, rather strongly transverse, the base rounded, and 

 not perceptibly sinuate, the hind angles very indistinct, the 

 sides distinctly narrowed towards the front; it is blackish 

 in colour, finely and not densely punctured, so as to be a 

 little shining. Klytra shoi't but a little longer than the 

 thorax, blackish at the base and sides, shading into yellow 

 towards the extremity, rather finely and closely punctured. 

 Hind body narrow, pointed, all the segments finely and 

 closely punctured, but still slightly shining. Legs yellow. 



In the male the hind margin of the dorsal plate of the 

 7 th segment of the hind body projects a little on each side of 

 the middle, so as to form tAvo very short, obtuse, distant 

 projections, which are not long enough to be called 

 teeth. 



A pair of this species, $ and ? , were foiuid at Lagos, 

 on the 5th January, 1875, by Dr. Trail. 



Ohs. — This species, though it has quite the facies of 

 our European Placuscc, is narrower than any one of them 

 I am acquainted Avith. The middle cox{\3 are quite conti- 

 guous, and the middle portion of the front of the metaster- 

 num is less acuminate than in the European species ; the 

 basal joint of the 4-jointed middle tarsi is distinctly longer 

 than the 2nd, but not nearly so long as the 2nd and 3rd 

 together ; and the basal joint of the hind tarsus, though 

 more elongate than that of the middle ones, is not so long 

 as the 2nd and 3rd tofjether. 



