African and Asiatic Species 0/ Melyris. 213 



in front than in Z. oblonga ; the elytra more sharply costate 

 than in the last-named insect ; the tarsal claws very long 

 and feebly toothed near the tip. 



71. Melyris erythrodera, sp. n. 



? . Elongate, rather broad, moderately shining, sparsely 

 pubescent; obscure rufo-testaceous, the head, palpi, labrum, 

 joints 5-10 of antennae, sides of scutellum, and tips of the 

 tarsi black, the elytra obscure bluish-green ; the head and 

 prothorax punctulate and coarsely, closely reticulate. Head 

 and antennae short, joints 5-11 of latter broad. Prothorax 

 transverse, convex, rounded at the sides, narrowed anteriorly, 

 deeply sulcate, the lateral carina prominent and almost 

 straight, the hind angles obtuse. Elytra long, considerably 

 wider than the prothorax, subparallel, produced at the apex ; 

 tricostate, the interspaces closely, rather coarsely quadri- 

 seriate-punctate, the inferior margin crenulate. Tarsal 

 claws rather sharply toothed beyond the middle. 



Length 9|, breadth 4 mm. 



Hub. India, ? Barrackpore (Maj.-Gen. Sir John Hearsay). 



One specimen, presented to the British Museum in 1861. 

 This example, according to the Register of that Institution, 

 is one of many insects captured by the donor, at Barrack- 

 pore, Mussoorie, Punjab, &c., but the exact locality for each 

 of them is not stated. The similarly coloured M. [Zygia) 

 oblonga, F., extends to the Persian Gulf, so there can be 

 little doubt as to the present insect occurring in the drier 

 parts of India. The coarser sculpture of the prothorax and 

 the strongly punctured, sharply tricostate, attenuate elytra 

 bring M. erythrodera near 31, {Zygia) notaticollis, Pic, from 

 Obock ; and the carinate prothorax distinguishes it from 

 the species of Pseudozygia occurring in Somaliland. 



72. Melyris versicolor. 



Meh/ris versicolor, Chevr. in Gugrin's Icon. Eegne Anim. p. 50 l (1829- 



1844). 

 Zygia versicolor, Schilsky, Kaf. Europ. xxxiv. No. 90 (J §) (1897). 



Hub. Mediterranean Region, Spain, Corsica, Sardinia, 

 &c. ; Asia Minor; Syria; Algeria; Egypt; Arabia. 



There are about a dozen examples of M. versicolor in the 

 three collections before me. It is a form of M.bicolor, F., 

 with the metasternum metallic. The J -characters are 

 similar. The allied Zygia longicollls, Schilsky (1897), from 

 Turkey and Cyprus, $ only known, has the entire under 

 surface green. 



