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rV. On Burmeisteria, a new Genus of Melolonthidge. 

 By Feederic Schickendantz. 



[Eead 6th January, 1868.] 



I BEG to send to the Entomological Society of London 

 a description and drawings of a very curious insect, of 

 which I took in February, near Pilciao, a single specimen 

 in the flower of a leguminaceous plant. I have sent it 

 to Dr. Burmeister, of Buenos Aires, who informs me that 

 the insect possesses great interest, being a typical repre- 

 sentative in South America of a group which has hitherto 

 been observed only on the shores of the Mediterranean, 

 in South- Africa, and in New Holland. According to the 

 views of that learned Entomologist, the beetle belongs to 

 the aberrant group of Melolonthidce which, in his " Hand- 

 buch der Entomologie " (IV. ii. 428) , he has named 

 Leptopodidce, and is in some respects intermediate be- 

 tween Macrophylla (p. 447) and Pachypus (p. 462), but 

 differs from both by the open suture, and by the pro- 

 longated metanotum, which has never before been 

 observed in any of the forms allied to the present insect. 

 In honour of the distinguished naturalist who has con- 

 tributed so much, not only to the advancement of Ento- 

 mology, but also to the scientific knowledge of the 

 Argentine Republic, I propose to name this curious insect 

 Burmeisteria 'luirabilis. 



BURMEISTERIA. 



Genus novum Coleopterorum Lamellicornium {Fhyllo- 

 phaga, Leptopodidce). 



Clypeus parabolicus, porrectus, margine subelevato, 

 valde descendente. Instrumenta cibaria debilia ; labrum 

 parvum, integrum, parabolicum ; mandibulae et maxillae 

 absconditas ; labium triangulare, paulisper concavum, 

 setis longis rigidis utrinque fimbriatum, medio nudum ; 

 palpi breves, articulo ultimo ovato. Antennce articulis 10 ; 

 prime incurve, clavato ; sequentibus tribus £equalibus, 

 nodiformibus ; quarto mucronato ; sex ultimis flabellum 

 sat longum hexaphyllum formantibus. Pronotum trans- 

 versum, subpulvinatum, lateribus obtuse angulatum, in 

 omni margine pilis mollibus longis albis hirsutum. 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1868. — PART I. (APRIL) . 



