ALTICINAE FROM THE WEST INDIES — BLAKE 19 



unusual coloration. Instead of being almost entirely piceous with a 

 bronze lustre, with the elytra having only a trace of a pale vitta near 

 the base, as is uniformly found in the female of Systena basalis, this 

 specimen has pale elytra with a humeral dark spot and a median 

 lateral short vitta, as well as a wide sutural dark vitta, widening 

 below the scutellum for a short way, then narrowing and extending 

 down the suture but not reaching the apex. The legs are entirely 

 pale, the antennae also pale, with a slight darkening at the apex of 

 each joint. The breast and abdomen are brownish piceous. If it 

 were a male, in which the usual elytral markings are paler, 

 with a full-length pale vitta, this would not appear so unusual. 

 Structurally, however, the specimen does not seem to differ from 

 Systena basalis, being of the same size and dimensions and possessing 

 the same sort of punctation. Thus, it seems highly unlikely that 

 this is a different species. 



Altica occidentalis Suffrian 



Figure 12 

 Haltica occidentalis Suffrian, Arch. Naturg., vol. 34, p. 197, 1868. 



In describing this species Suffrian was somewhat in doubt as to 

 whether or not it might be the European A. oleracea L., which it 

 strongly resembles and which he thought might have been introduced 

 into Cuba with vegetables. The present species is very similar in 

 outward appearance to the European species but the aedeagus is 

 different. This species appears to be endemic in the West Indies and 

 occurs not only in Cuba but also in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the 

 Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Dominica, and St. Lucia. It is of the same 

 elongate shape as A. ludoviciana Fall, another Caribbean species 

 found on the same food plant, Jussiaea, and a species distinguished 

 by its pale yellow legs. 



Hermaeophaga jamaicensis, new species 



Figure 13 



About 2 mm. in length, oblong oval, shining, pro thorax with basal 

 sulcus not limited at ends, elytra faintly striate punctate, pale yel- 

 lowish brown with elytra shining metallic green, breast and abdomen 

 dark brown and outer joints of antennae dark brown. 



Head with interocular space about half width of head, occiput 

 smoothly rounded, impunctate, frontal tubercles clearly marked, a 

 narrow carina down front, entirely pale yellow brown. Antennae 

 extending slightly below hmneri, first four basal joints pale, without 

 much pubescence, remainder thicker, dark and very hairy. Pro- 

 thorax moderately convex, shining, impunctate, pale yellow brown 

 with basal sulcus across pronotum not limited at ends. Scutellum 



