CRYPTOCEPHALTJS. 223 



39-i. Cryptocephalus brahminus, sp. n. 



$ . Head fulvous ; a black transverse band at vertex ; thorax 

 fulvous, with two black spots ; legs fulvous ; elytra (epipleural 

 lobes beneath excepted) and underside black. 



Head somewhat convex, impunctate and shining, vertex with a 

 shallow longitudinal groove, the black band widened at middle ; 

 eyes subangularly but not deeply emarginate; clypeus not separated, 

 moderately concave at anterior margin, surface impunctate ; 

 antennae fulvous, basal joints flavous, third joint slender, twice 

 as long as second, following nearly equally long, not thickened. 

 Thorax short and strongly transverse, all the margins narrowly 

 black, a large black spot on each side near the middle. Scutellum 

 broadly triangular, black. Elytra strongly punctate-striate, the 

 punctures replaced by striae at the apex, interstices finely wrinkled, 

 slightly convex at sides, shoulders highly raised and broad ; epi- 

 pleural lobes feeble, fulvous beneath. Legs short and stout. 

 Prosternum deeply emarginate at middle of anterior margin; the 

 posterior angles acutely pointed. 



Length 4 mm. 



Hab. India (Coll. Brit. Mus.}. 



This species cannot be mistaken for one of the black varieties 

 of G. vahli or C. senarius, as the head is entirely impunctate 

 and has a black band. In C. sanguinolentus, Oliv. the head is 

 finely punctured and entirely red, the antennae have the joints 

 differently fashioned and the prosternum is not emarginate 

 anteriorly. 



395. Cryptocephalus dimidiatns, Suffr.Monogr.,Linn.Ent. xiv,1860, 

 p. 15. 



" Eeddish-fulvous ; scutellum and elytra deep black. 



" $ . Head remotely but distinctly punctured ; antennae scarcely 

 half the length of the body, robust, third and fourth joints equal, 

 fifth and sixth longer, following broadly widened, terminal joint 

 with very short triangular appendages, all joints except the apical 

 red. Thorax short and broad, with two oblique depressions in 

 front of scutellum, posterior margin narrowly black. Scutellum 

 elongate-triangular. Elytra raised round scutellum, shoulders 

 broad, epipleural lobes moderately produced ; surface with the 

 punctures stronger at middle than at each end, interstices broad, 

 flat, scarcely wrinkled. Pygidium dark fulvous. Prosternum 

 scarcely produced in front, posterior angles short and pointed. 



" Length 4 mm. 



" Hab. Southern India." (Suffrian.) 



Suffrian only doubtfully described this species as distinct from 

 C. insubidus or its female. The apparent differences from black 

 varieties of C. vahli are the impunctate elytral interstices and 

 the finer puncturation, while the black elytra and scutellum 

 possibly distinguish it from C. insubidus and the fulvous under- 

 side from C. sanguinolentu*. 



