African and Asiatic Species o/Melyris. 17.5 



quinqueseriate-puuctate, less rugose interspaces ; the more 

 strongly serrate, loosely articulated joints of the antennae ; 

 and the rather slender, less setose legs. The present species 

 resembles the Abyssinian M. fulvipes, Reiche, differing from 

 it in the less closely articulated antennal joints, the denti- 

 culate margins of the prothorax, and the more closely and 

 finely punctured elytra, with the costae moderately prominent. 



19. Melyris umbilicata, sp. n. 



r? . Elongate, rather convex, shining, blue or green above, 

 the basal joints of the antennas and the apex of the abdomen 

 rufo-testaceous, the rest of the antennas and under surface, 

 and legs, nigro-piceous or black ; somewhat thickly clothed 

 with long, erect, blackish hairs, those along the outer 

 margins of the elytra stiff and setiform, the apex of the 

 abdomen fringed with a few long projecting hairs ; the head 

 and prothorax rather coarsely umbilicate-puuctate. Head 

 short, rather broad, the eyes convex ; antennae short. Pro- 

 thorax transverse, convex, arcuately narrowed anteriorly, 

 shallowly sulcate, the hind angles obtuse, the lateral carina 

 sharp, angulate at about the middle, the margins con- 

 spicuously crenulate. Elytra wider than the prothorax, 

 moderately long, subparallel ; narrowly and rather feebly 

 tricostate, the interspaces coarsely triseriate-punctate, and 

 also here and there transversely plicate, the inferior margin 

 closely crenulate. Legs hairy ; tarsal claws moderately 

 long, sharply toothed at about the middle. Ventral seg- 

 ment 5 arcuate-emarginate, without median depression, 

 6 somewhat convex along the middle, emarginate at tip ; 

 median lobe of aedeagus broad, obliquely narrowed at apex, 

 the triangular apical portion toothed on each side basally. 



Length 5-5^, breadth 2-2£ mm. 



Hab. W. Central Africa, Zungeru (J. W. Scott-Macjie : 

 xi. 1910: type), Bantschi-Lokoja (L. M. Bucknill: 1908), 

 both in N. Nigeria. 



Two males. This insect is of about the size of M.parvula, 

 but it is more nearly related to the much larger M. nigripes, 

 Harold, from which it differs in having the intercostal 

 spaces on the elytra coarsely triseriate-punctate. From 

 M. parvula the coarse sculpture, feebler elytral costse, and 

 the dark hairy legs sufficiently distinguish the present 

 species. The median lobe of the aedeagus is peculiarly 

 formed. 



