52 ]\Ir. D. Sharp's Co/itribiitio/is to the 



al)otit as loiio; as l)roa(l ; the terniliial JDiiit not broader 

 tliaii the loth, pointetl, ahout as loii^ as the two ]ircceduig 

 ones togetlier. Tlie liead and thorax are of a ])itohy or a 

 ])itcliv-red colour, covered, as are also the elytra, with short, 

 stout, erect setie. Thorax a little broader than the elytra, 

 more than twice as broad as long;, much narrower in front 

 than behind, its middle part a little elevated, the sides de- 

 flexed, the middle of the l)ase a little produced in front of the 

 scutellum, the posterior angles acute and pi'ojectinn; back- 

 wards. The clvtra are rather lighter in colour than the 

 thorax, and about one-tlilrd longer; they are narrower 

 at the apex and the base ; under the microscope the 

 sculpture of the thorax and elytra is seen to consist of 

 small round smooth spots, between which the surface is 

 coriaceous. The abdomen is much narrower than the 

 thorax ; it is nearly inipunctate, and very finely pubescent, 

 but the basal segments are also furnished Avith seta3 finer 

 than those of the thorax and elytra : it is very convex 

 above and below, and the first visible segment is much 

 narrowed all round from its apex to its base. 



Ega ; a single individual, Avhich I suspect to be a male. 



Myemedonia. 



Of this Avidely distributed genus, nine or ten species 

 liave been already described from tropical America : to 

 this number I now add other six species. Of these six 

 species, the first five are pretty closely allied to one 

 another, while the sixth (viz., M. nitidula) is very dis- 

 tinct, lley has recently divided the genus JMi/niiaJonia 

 into a number of different genera, distributed among two 

 distinct bx'anches, Mi/rmedontatea, and Mi/r)neciates. If 

 this arrangement were adopted, then J\[. scahripennis, M. 

 pollens, M. Butesi, M. spinifer, and M. fortunatn, would 

 belong to the branch Mi/rmkluidates, and to Key's genus 

 Zyras, or more probably to a distinct new genus to be 

 ])laced at the head of the branch : while M. nitidula 

 would have to form a distinct branch intermediate be- 

 tween the Mijrmedoniutes and Myruieciutes. I do not, 

 however, adopt this classification ; for Avhile I thoroughly 

 appreciate the great addition M. lley's labours have made 

 to our knowledge, I am quite convinced that the atteni})t 

 to found new and comj)licated classifications on the insects 

 of a single country must prove abortive ; and ])robably 

 Avorse than useless when applied to the insects of the 



