VITTATE CHRYSOMELID BEETLES DISONYCHA — BLAKE 59 



pair of dark spots anteriorly and a washed-out brown area from these 

 down to the base, on each side usually two confluent spots; elytra 

 with a dark sutui'al and a narrow submarginal vitta not joined at 

 apex, and a moderately wide median vitta; body beneath pale with 

 the femora pale with a dark line, tibiae dark at apex, tarsi dark. 



Head pale, with an oblong dark occipital spot and dark mouthparts, 

 a cluster of punctures on either side of front near eye, tubercles dis- 

 tinctly marked, carina broad and rounded, lower front moderately 

 long. Antennae rather stout and short, with the three basal joints 

 edged with pale, rest dark. Pro thorax barely twice as broad as long, 

 moderately convex and little depressed over the scutellum, finely alu- 

 taceous and moderately shiny, impunctate, two spots anteriorly with 

 a brownish area from them to the base, in pale specimens this resolves 

 into two spots and a median line, usually two confluent spots on each 

 side. Elytra elongate, the sutural vitta not joined with the narrow 

 submarginal vitta, median vitta not very wide, surface alutaceous and 

 finely punctate; epipleura pale with a washed-out brown edge. Body 

 beneath pale, covered with fine pubescence, femora pale, sometimes 

 with a brownish streak, tibiae dark at apex, tarsi dark. Length 5 to 

 6.7 mm., width 2.5 to 3.4 mm. 



Type: Male, USNM 61827, and one paratype, female, from Sapu- 

 cai, Paraguay, W. T. Foster. 



Other localities: Ai-gentina: Salta, G. L. Harrington, USNM. 

 Paraguay: no locality. Dr. Bohls, MCZ (5 specimens). Brazil: Rio 

 de Janeiro, J. T. Maury, BM; Corumbd, Mato Grosso, MCZ; Caviuna, 

 Parand, A. Mailer, AMNH; Rio Autaz, Roman, Stockholm Natur- 

 historiska Riksmuseet. Venezuela: Plason, MCZ, Jacoby (2nd 

 collection) . 



Remarks: This species is distinctive because of the broad median 

 dark area on the pronotum extending from the two anterior spots to 

 the basal margin. Most of the specimens are from southern Brazil, 

 Argentina, and Paraguay, but the female from the Rio Autaz, a 

 tributary of the Amazon River, in the Stockholm Museum, and the 

 one from Venezuela seem to indicate that it may occur east of the 

 Andes, at least, the length of South America. The specimen from 

 Rio Autaz was identified by Weise as D. caustica Harold, but this 

 latter species is quite dift'erent, having a coarsely punctate head and 

 prothorax, although with similar anterior spots on the prothorax. 



Disonycha explanata, new species 



Figure 30 



About 6.5 mm. in length, oblong oval, elytra finely and rather 

 closely punctate, margin of prothorax and elytra widely explanate; 



