ALTICINAE FROM THE WEST INDIES — BLAKE 21 



Nesaecrepida, nevr genus 



Small (2-3 mm. in length), oblong oval beetles, similar in appear- 

 ance to species of Crepidodera but with basal sulcus across the entire 

 base of prothorax, elytra very finely punctate, punctures tending to 

 be striate but not entirely so. 



Head with groove from large puncture near eye running down and 

 cutting around frontal tubercles, carina down lower front slightly 

 produced, as in Crepidodera. Antennae not extending to middle of 

 elytra; first two joints swollen, third scarcely as long as second, 

 fourth and fifth subequal; from fifth on, joints wider but not longer. 

 Prothorax moderately convex, with rounded sides, an oblique angle 

 anteriorly and a small tooth at basal angle, a somewhat sinuate basal 

 sulcus extending completely across base, not distinctly limited at 

 ends but with inconspicuous line going downward not upward on 

 prothorax slightly before lateral margin. Elytra moderately convex, 

 without depressions, with very fine inconspicuous punctation obso- 

 lete at apex, tending to be striate, but not always so. (In one of 

 the two species are traces of more than a dozen striae, in the second 

 species the striations tend to be geminate and become confused in 

 places, but in neither species are the striations clear cut and impressed 

 as in others of the Crepidodera.) Epipleura wide until apical curve, 

 then vanishing, anterior coxal cavities closed, hind femora enlarged, 

 hind tibiae shallowly sulcate near apex, a very short spur at tip, claws 

 appendiculate. 



Type of genus, Haltica asphaltina SufFrian. 



The generic name is derived from the Greek vrjaaios (nesaios = 

 insular) -f crepida. 



Remarks.— The two West Indian species of this genus, Nesaecre- 

 pida, which is allied to Crepidodera, differ from the other New World 

 Crepidoderini in having inconspicuous elytral punctation that con- 

 sists of very fine punctures in many (over 12) striae. In Nesaecre- 

 pida asphaltina (fig. 16) these striae are slightly confused, but in 

 both species the punctation becomes obsolete near the apex. In 

 addition, these two West Indian species have a basal groove that 

 extends completely across the prothorax to the lateral margins, with- 

 out the usual limiting lines perpendicular to the base; these lines 

 are represented by a very short and inconspicuous line from the sulcus 

 down to the basal margin, but not extending upward from the groove. 

 Nesaecrepida asphaltina was described by Suffrian from Cuba as 

 Haltica asjjhaltina and was recorded in the Junk Catalogue as a 

 species of Crepidodera; it occurs also in Puerto Rico and Jamaica. 

 The other species, which has been collected by T. H. Farr in Jamaica, 

 is known also from Cuba, where it was collected on rice; it is described 

 below. 



