XVI. On the species of the genus Kuchroma. 
By D. Suarpe. 
|Read July 6th, 1881. | 
Tue Buprestide, known to entomologists under the 
generic name of Huchroma, are amongst the largest and 
most abundant in collections of exotic Coleoptera; but 
it is unfortunately only too true that very little trust- 
worthy information is recorded about them. In the 
Munich Catalogue two species are recognised; and I 
have received at various times from my friend, the Rev. 
W. Harper, of Demerara, specimens of what have 
appeared to myself and other entomologists a third 
distinct species; this I intended to make known under 
the name of Buprestis Harperi, but as 1 had noticed 
that the two recognised species were very variable, or 
else that there were more than two species, I took the 
opportunity of procuring from my entomological friends 
all the specimens they could send me for examination. 
The result of this has been to convince me that at 
present there exist only two species in our collections, 
and that, though both are variable and in some of their 
varieties greatly resemble one another, yet they are, so 
far as is yet known, perfectly distinct. I have thought 
it would be acceptable if I epitomised the results of my 
observations in the form of short diagnoses of the two 
species and remarked on the variations they exhibit, and 
alluded to some other points on which there exists at 
present but scanty or erroneous information. ‘The two 
species are the Buprestis gigantea of tn ana the 3B. 
goliath of Laporte. There can be no doubt, I think, 
that the species to which I have assigned the former 
name was the one intended by Linneus, and it appears 
in fact to have been the only one known to the older 
entomological describers. The Buprestis goliath was 
described by Mannerheim under the name of Huchroma 
columbica very shortly after Laporte and Gory’s descrip- 
tion had appeared. 
The external characters distinctive of the two sexes 
TRANS. ENT. Soc. 1881.—PaRT UI. (SEPT) 2Q 
