( 383 



XXV. New Species of Coleoptera /rom Chontales, Nicar- 

 agua. By H. W. Bates, F.Z.S., Pres. Ent. Soc. 



During the past few months, three or four small col- 

 lectioBS of Coleoptera have been received from the province 

 of Chontales in Nicaragua, the product of the researches 

 of Mr. T. Belt, and Mr. E. Janson, junr. These collections 

 contained so large a proportion of new and handsome 

 species of tropical American types, that they have attracted 

 much attention among Coleopterists, and no apology is 

 needed for the present attempt to make some of them 

 better known. Further collections may be expected, and 

 any general account of the Coleopterous Fauna must be 

 deferred for the present. 



LONGICORNIA. 



Mallaspis paradoxa. 



Elongata, convexa, postice attenuata, subtiliter punc- 

 tulata, fusco-asnea, elytris postice castaneis; capite an- 

 gusto, longissimo; thorace spina laterali pone medium 

 fortissima, antice valde attenuate, margine leevi carinaque 

 marginali obsoleta ; antennis corpore tertia parte breviori- 

 bus, leevibus, violaceis, apices versus gradatim rufescenti- 

 bus, articulis 3-6 compressis, paululum dilatatis, caeteris 

 subcompressis, angulis totis rotundatis ; pedibus violaceis, 

 Isevibus; corpore subtus vix punctulato, lateribus aureo- 

 pubescenti, prosterno transversim rugate. 



Long. 1 un. 9 lin. — 2 un. ( ? ?) . 



This singular species differs from all its allies by the 

 absence of a lateral carina to the prothorax, a trace of which 

 only remains near the anterior margin. In conjunction 

 with this, the lateral spine stands out very prominently 

 and is unusually stout and long, the thorax is rapidly 

 narrowed from the spine to the front margin, and the disc 

 has only a few fine scattered punctures. The brassy- 

 fuscous colour gradually changes into castaneous, from 

 near the base to the tip of the elytra. In colour and 

 punctuation, as well as in the length of the head, the 

 species approaches the Mexican ill. longiceps of White, 

 but this has the usual crenate prothoracic carina, and the 

 antennal joints are linear, with distinct angles. In M. 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1869. PART V. (DECEMBER.) 



