neio genera and species of Hulticinoi. 447 



Genus Syphrea. 



Corpus late ovatum, valde convexum. Caput tliorace 

 immersum ; facie brevi, perpendiculari ; oculis ovatis, intus 

 leviter sinuatis ; carina elevata, lineariforrai ; encarpis trans- 

 versis, contiguis; antennis corporis dimidio multo longiori- 

 bus, articulo secundo brevi, tertio illo dimidio longiori. 

 Thorax transversus, lateribus anguste reflexo-marginatis, 

 angiilis anticis obtusis ; convexus basi sulco transverse 

 utrinque ad latus extenso impressus. Scutellum trigo- 

 natum. Ehjtra tliorace latlora, valde convexa, confuse 

 punctata. Pedes : coxis anticis prosterno fere requialtis, 

 J^'??^or^Z»M5 posticis incrassatis; tibiis simplicibus, dorso non 

 canaliculatis, singidis apice spina acuta arraatis ; tarsis 

 posticis ad tibife apicem insertis ; unguiculis appendicu- 

 latis. Prosternum oblongum, postice vix ampliatum; 

 acetahulis anticis apertis. Mesosternum transversum, 

 apice rotundato-emarginato. 



Strongly resembling Hermeophaga in form, but distin- 

 guished at once from that genus by the basal sulcation of 

 the thorax extending entirely across the surface ; from 

 Sutrea and its allies it is separated by the above character 

 as well as by the presence of a small acute spine at the 

 apices of all the tibia3 ; it may be known from Haltica by 

 the very convex form, more especially of the thorax. 



Syphrea pretiosa. 



Late ovata, valde convexa, rufo-fulva, nitida, antennis, 

 basi exceptis, pectore, abdomine, tibiis et tarsis anticis 

 quatuor, pedibusque posticis totis, ca3ruleo-nigris ; elj tris 

 metallico-cajruleis. 



Long. 3 lin. 



Hab. — Guatemala. 



Vertex shining, impunctate ; eyes black ; two lower 

 joints of antennae obscure piceous. Thorax twice as broad 

 as long ; sides nearly straight and slightly diverging from 

 the base to the middle, thence rounded and converging to 

 the apex ; hinder angles produced, acute ; anterior angles 

 thickened, moderately produced, obtuse ; above convex, 

 minutely pimctured, the puncturing only visible under a 

 lens; at the base is a deep, transverse, sinuate groove, which 

 extends entirely across the thorax; the surface between 

 it and the basal margin at either end, rugose-strigose. 

 Elytra broader than the thorax, very convex, transversely 

 excavated below the humeral callus, distinctly punctured. 



