92 Mr. G. C. Champion's Revision of the Mexican 



of the elytra, the two basal joints of the antennae, the 

 femora, tibiae, and under surface are testaceous, the legs, 

 antennae and under surface being infuscate in the other 

 examples. The male is described as having the prothorax 

 subquadrate, with the margins (which are rather broadly 

 reflexed) minutely excised behind the middle ; but this 

 definition is misleading, the narrow notch being straight 

 and deep. The female has a broader, posteriorly widened 

 prothorax, with trisinuate margins. The eyes of the male 

 are smaller than in many of the allied forms ; and the inner 

 claw of the anterior tarsi is triangularly dilated at the base 

 in this sex. 



28. Polemius proximus. 



$. Silis jproxima, Gorh., Biol. Centr.-Am., Coleopt. iii, 2, 

 p. 298 (excl. ^). 



Moderately elongate, shining, finely pubescent; nigro-piceous, 

 the head in front {<^) or at the sides before the eyes (5), the basal 

 joint of the antennae beneath, and the prothorax (a com^ilete median 

 vitta excepted, which is absent in one of the Chiacam types), strami- 

 neous or pale testaceous, the under surface and legs fuscous, the 

 femora and base of the tibiae more or less testaceous. Eyes moder- 

 ately large in ^, smaller in $. Antennae (cJ) long, stout, serrate, 

 tapering outwards, and with joints 3-10 distinctly lineate or canali- 

 culate, 2 very small ; ($) shorter and less dilated, moderatelj^ stout, 

 tapering towards the tip. Mandibles curved in both sexes. Pro- 

 thorax (cj) strongly transverse, feebly binodose near the base, the 

 sides with a narrow, deep, straight notch a little behind the middle, 

 parallel thence to the sharp hind angles, and abruptly converging 

 at the apex, the explanate thickened margin forming an oblique 

 dentiform prominence in front of the notch ; ($) broader and more 

 explanate, the margins obsoletely plicate, bi- or trisinuate, converging 

 from about the basal third forwards, the hind angles prominent. 

 Elytra moderately long, at the base not or very little wider than 

 the prothorax, parallel, densely sculptured, obsoletely costulate. 

 Inner claw of anterior tarsi distinctly, and outer claw of the other 

 tarsi more feebly, dilated at base in ^. 



Length (excl. head) 4-5, breadth l^-lf mm. {^ $.) 



Hah. Mexico, Teapa in Tabasco {H. H. Smith : cJ ?) ; 

 Guatemala, Chiacam in Alta Vera Paz [types, $]. 



A long series of this insect from Teapa is now available 

 for examination, showing that the single male from Chiacam 

 doubtfully referred by Gorham to Silis proxima belongs to 





