Brazilian Baring 413 



In obsolescens the prosternal impression of fastidiosus, and 

 apparently also of the other species alluded to by Champion, is 

 entirely wanting, the surface before the coxae being plane or only 

 very feebly and vaguely concave, sloping gently upward and finely, 

 sparsely punctate; the abdomen is evenly convex, polished and 

 minutely remotely punctulate, the coarse sternal punctures nearly 

 as in fastidiosus. 



Stethobaroides Chmp. 



This genus very closely resembles Stethobaris in external appear- 

 ance, being broadly oval, glabrous, polished and nearly smooth 

 above, with small subconical prothorax and very coarsely and 

 deeply grooved elytra ; it differs greatly from any of the preceding 

 genera of this section, in having the scutellum widely free and of 

 peculiar form, being parallel and straight at the sides and much 

 longer than wide, truncate at apex, circularly rounded at base and 

 very feebly impressed, fitting loosely into a more or less deep 

 angulate emargination in the short feeble and gradual basal thoracic 

 lobe. The beak is moderate, not separated by an impression, 

 compressed at the sides and with slenderly and acutely bifid decus- 

 sate mandibles. Antennae slightly post-median, the first funicular 

 joint as long as the next two, the second very slightly elongate, the 

 others short, not increasing much in width, the club large, oval, 

 abrupt and about as long as the preceding six joints. The prester- 

 num separates the coxae by less than twice their own width and has 

 a large non-parallel excavation before the coxae, which seems to 

 serve occasionally as a shelter for the distal parts of the antennae. 

 The legs are moderate, the femora mutic and the tibiae short and 

 slender, the tarsi and claws rather small. 



This genus is to all appearances singularly close to Stethobaris, dif- 

 ering, however, in one of the characters assumed to be of prime im- 

 portance in the subfamily, for the pygidium here is distinct though 

 small, vertical, transverse, convex, densely punctate and with its 

 lower margin feebly, transversely arcuate, while in Stethobaris the 

 pygidium is entirely concealed, and the thoracic lobe is not deeply 

 emarginate, though truncate or sinuato-truncate medially, the 

 scutellum much more abbreviated though free, and the tarsal claws 

 are similarly rather small and connate. For these reasons Stetho- 

 baroides must be regarded as a very remarkable genus. The only 

 South American species at hand is the following: 



Stethobaroides scutellatus n. sp. — Stout, convex, shining, black throughout 

 and glabrous; beak in the type rather thick, evenly and moderately arcuate, 

 barely longer than the head and prothorax and strongly, closely and in part 

 longitudinally sculptured, the lateral groove beyond the antennae distinct for 

 some distance; antennae piceous, the scape short but almost attaining the eye; 

 prothorax small, two-fifths wider than long, broadly arcuate at base from side to 



