Coleoptera from Chontales. 171 



The very short palpi and narrow, truncated, conical, apical 

 joint amply distinguish it, independently of the antennae, 

 in which the basal joint is simply clavate (not spined as 

 in Xystrocera) and the third, fourth, and fifth joints are 

 a little swollen at their apices, extremely roughened, and 

 having a short blunt spine a little longer than the other 

 asperities. 



T. viridis,n.sip. — Viridi-cyanea, supra subopaca, subtus 

 viridi-aenea nitida, femoribus (apice nigris exceptis) rufis, 

 antennis tibiis tarsisque nigris ; capite grosse punctato- 

 scabroso, thorace paulo ineequali, minutissime confertis- 

 sime punctato, elytris grossius creberrime punctatis. 



Long. 8^ lin. S- 



One example, in Mr. Belt's collection. 



Achryson snrinamum, Lin. Syst. Nat. II. p. 632. 



Var. cliontaleyise. A typo differt thorace lineis indefinitis 

 infuscatis, et elytris vitta laterali infuscata abbreviata. 



This common tropical American species, which offers 

 scarcely any variation from Buenos Ayres to Mexico, 

 shows great instability in its dark brown markings at 

 Chontales. In most of the examples I have seen of both 

 sexes, the external end of the circumflex mark on the 

 elytra is connected with a large subhumeral spot by a 

 dusky vitta, which is sometimes prolonged nearly to the 

 apex of the elytra. The thorax, in the darkest examples, 

 shows two dusky stripes on the disc, united anteriorly. 

 This variety is not constant, otherwise it would merit 

 consideration as a distinct species. 



Hammaticherus castanevs, Bates, Trans. Ent. Soc. 1870, 

 p. 250 ; {H. mexicanus, Thoms. Classif. Ceramb. p. 196 ?) . 

 — Numerous specimens from Chontales exactly agreeing 

 with those from South Brazil. The species has the 

 greatest possible aflBnity with H. hatus (Lin.) difiering 

 absolutely in colour only, the elytra in L. hatus being 

 slaty-black, and in H. castaneus of a tawny-chestnut hue. 

 The denomination of local variety is scarcely possible in 

 this case, one form being found near both the northern 

 and the southern tropic, and the other in the intermediate 

 region of Guiana and the Amazons. H. Mexicanus, Thoms., 

 belongs possibly to this species, but his description is not 

 quite applicable in several respects, and he compares it 

 to E. hellator, an insect of different shape. 



