Brazilian Baring 27 



Parasyprestia n. gen. 



The general outline in this genus is almost exactly as in Lydamis, 

 being strongly rhomboidal, but the antennal club is very different 

 and the tarsal claws straight and basally connate. The scutellum 

 is of nearly similar form, but is smaller, more convex, transversely 

 subquadrate and has its apex acicularly cuspid medially. The 

 abdomen is feebly concave and finely and sparsely covered with 

 hair-like squamules in the type, which may be described as follows: 



Parasyprestia carinicollis n. sp. — Integuments black, very unevenly clothed, 

 the pronotum broadly at the sides with dense fulvous squamules inclosing four 

 rounded — the antero-inferior triangular — dense white spots; squamules sparse 

 medially and on most of the under surface, very minute and sparse on the shining 

 scutellum; on the elytra the squamules are small, not very dense and confusedly 

 fulvous and white with some black subdenuded mottling, of moderate size and 

 generally rather sparse beneath; beak of almost the usual form in Lydamis, but 

 more than half as long as the body, nearly straight, feebly arcuate distally, moder- 

 ate in thickness, feebly tapering throughout, closely punctured, feebly and sparsely 

 so toward apex, slightly tumid above between the eyes; antennae very slightly 

 beyond the middle, the funicle piceous, with the first two joints much elongated, 

 the next two slightly, the club elongate, black, suboval; prothorax rapidly conical, 

 with very feebly basally arcuate sides; apex scarcely half as wide as the base, the 

 lobe of the latter feebly sinuate, with slightly nodiform angles; punctures strong, 

 dense, somewhat confluent; medial carina high, with polished nude summit, not 

 quite attaining the base; elytra parabolic, with nearly straight sides and broadly 

 rounded apex, only a fifth longer than wide, three-sevenths wider than the pro- 

 thorax; humeri evenly rounded; striae moderate, punctulate; intervals flat, 

 finely, closely punctulate, 3 and 9 sharply carinate except basally and api- 

 cally respectively, also most of the others toward apex, excepting 1 and 2; femora 

 only feebly clavate, acutely spiculate beneath. Length ( 9) 6.2 mm.; width 3.6 

 mm. Brazil (Santarem). One specimen. 



Easily recognizable by the thoracic vestiture, long beak and 

 very elongate-oval antennal club. 



Tripestes n. gen. 



This is another at present monotypic genus, necessitated by a 

 small species, conforming in general to the principal characters of 

 the Optatini, but with shorter beak and less advanced antennae 

 than in the preceding or Lydamis, which latter it more closely 

 resembles; the oval antennal club is smaller and much less elongate 

 than in Parasyprestia, and its basal segment is larger, constituting 

 almost half the mass; the alternately carinate strial intervals are, 

 however, a good deal as in that genus; the scutellum differs radically 

 from either. The femora are moderate in thickness, with very 

 small aciculate inferior tooth, and the tibiae are fluted as in Lydamis, 

 but the third tarsal joint is shorter and more transverse. The 

 type species may be described as follows: 



