Mr. G. J. Arrow on Melolonthine Coleoptera. 59 



III. — Some Systematic Notes on Hfelolon thine Coleoptera. 

 By Gilbert J. Arkow. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



Mr. L. Peringuey, in his " Catalogue of the Coleoptera of 

 S. Africa " (Trans. S. Afr. Phil. Soc.xiii. 1904, p. 174), puts 

 at the head of the genus Spurrmannia a species wliich he 

 calls vertimmus, Pall, (with tlie names alopex, F., and 

 hrunnipennis, (Jast., as synonyms), mentioning a typical 

 form with pale testaceous colour as inhabiting the Karroo 

 region, and a form with " light ^' (apparently meaning dark) 

 chestnut elytra in Naiuaqualand, Bushmanland, aiul Damara- 

 land. The recent Catalogue of Dalla Torre adopts this 

 synonymy, but separates as a variety the dark form brunui- 

 peniiis. 



Dr. H, Brauns has lately sent a series of this dark form, 

 which he has found in abundance in the Uniondale district of 

 Caf)e Colony, while the light form is equally abundant in the 

 Willowmore district, only 42 miles to the south, but separated 

 by the range of the Zwaarlberg running from west to east 

 across the continent. Examination has proved that the two 

 forms are quite distinct, and Fabricius's description shows 

 that it is the dark form which is the true S. alopex. It was 

 Fabricius himself who, in his Syst. Eleut. ii. p. 1615, identified 

 this insect with the Scarahieus vertumnus of Pallas, but with 

 strange carelessness, for the latter is a Russian species, 

 apparently belonging to the genus Rhizotrogus. 



Ttie light-coloured Spurrmannia, described at length by 

 Peringuey, is therefore without a name, and I propose to 

 call it 



Sparrmcinnia Jlava, sp. n. 



In addition to the pale-coloured elytra, this species differs 

 from S. alopex in their more distinct and regular punctura- 

 tion, in the longer tarsi of both sexes, and especially in the 

 longer middle tarsi and more dilated hind tibise of the male. 

 The a^deagus is figured by Peringuey. That o£ S. alopex is 

 much shorter and blunter. Dr. Brauns states that, while 

 *S. flava occurs together with S. alopex north of the dividing- 

 range, he has never seen the latter south of the mountains, 

 and that no specimens of intermediate coloration are tound. 

 S. flava generally appears at Willowmore towards Christmas 

 time, while S. alopex is later, generally appearing in January 



