22 Mr. G. J. Arrow on 



Rhizotrogus gravis, sp. n. (PI. I. fig. 4.) 



Lsete flavus, capite fusco-rufo, pronoto (lateribus exceptis), an- 

 tennis tarsisque rufis ; oblongus, nitidus, glaber, pectore pedibus- 

 que sat longe flavo-hirsutis, capite crebre et rugose punctato, 

 absque carinis, clypeo parvo, excavato, margine antice recto, 

 lateraliter fortiter arcuato ; pronoto sat crebre et fortiter punc- 

 tato, linea media fere Isovi, lateribus medio fortiter dilatatis, 

 deinde ad angulos fere rectis, his obtusis, margine antico toto 

 ciliato, postico leviter trisinuato, marginato ; scutello parce 

 punctato ; elytris crebre et fortiter punctatis, costa suturali 

 valida aliisque angustis parum distiuctis ; pygidio parce haud 

 fortiter punctato ; antennis 10-articulatis, articulis 3-7 regulariter 

 decrescentibus ; tibise anticae dente tertio minutissimo, unguibus 

 subtus medio dente recto armatis ; mento postice carina V-formi 

 instructo, antice excavato. 



Long. 25-27 mm. ; lat. max. 13-15 mm. 



N.E. Mauritius: Bassin. 



An old specimen of this species in the British Museum 

 bears the locality " Florida," for which reason I at first 

 believed it to have been, like Phytahts smithi, imported into 

 Mauritius ; but I have failed on enquiry to find any evidence 

 of its occurrence in America, nor has it by any abnormal 

 increase shown the usual indication of an introduced insect. 



The colour is a bright tawny yellow, paler beneath, with 

 the pronotum red, except at the sides, and the head very dark 

 red. 



The male is rather elongate and parallel-sided, the female 

 shorter and more dilated behind, and both rather shining 

 (except upon the head, which is densely punctured and 

 rugose), free from hair upon the upper surface, but with long 

 and thick yellow pubescence upon the metasternum. The 

 eyes are large and prominent, the clypeus rather small, 

 hollowed, with continuous reflexed margin, straight in front 

 and rounded at the sides. The pronotum is moderately 

 punctured, with an indefinite longitudinal smooth space in 

 the middle, with the lateral margins strongly dilated in the 

 middle and nearly straight from there to the front and hind 

 angles, which are obtuse. The elytra are closely and evenly 

 punctured, with a prominent smooth sutural costa of nearly 

 equal breadth throughout and exceedingly narrow and feeble 

 vestiges of three or four other costse. The pygidium is much 

 less closely punctured. The uppermost (third) tooth of the 

 front tibia is very feeble and the claws bear a strong vertical 

 tooth at the middle of the lower edge. The antennae are 

 10-jointed, joints 3 to 7 progressively diminishing in length. 



