382 CHEYSOMELIDJE. 



Group SCELODONTINI. 



Body short, oblong ; head with deep supraocular sulci ; 

 antennae short and robust, terminal joints thickened. Thorax 

 short, subglobular, much narrower than the elytra ; lateral margins' 

 obsolete. Elytra short. Legs robust, femora dentate ; tibiae entire 

 or very slightly einarginate at apex ; claws bifid. Prosternum 

 transverse ; thoracic episternum concave. 



The species are more or less metallic and pubescent ; the thorax 

 is frequently transversely strigose ; elytra generally with rows of 

 punctures and fine hairs, the interstices more or less finely 

 wrinkled. Very similar in appearance to Psendocolaspis, but can 

 be readily distinguished by the supraocular grooves. 



Genus SCELODONTA. 



Scelodonta, Westw. P. Z. S. 1837, p. 129. 



Heteraspis, Leconte (nee JBlanchard), Col. of Kansas, 1859, p. 23. 



Odontionopa, Motsch. (nee Erichs. fy nee Lefevre) Bull. Mosc. 1868, 



p. 408. 

 Graphops, Leconte, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. xii, 1885, p. 26. 



Type, S. curculionoides, Westw., from Manilla. 



Range. Africa ; India ; China ; Malayan Islands. 



Characters those of the group. Femora dentate'; antennae with 

 basal joint thickened, second very short, terminal joints short and 

 thick. 



675. Scelodonta vittata (PI. II, fig. 5), Oliv. (Eumolpus) Ent. vi, 

 1808, p. 907, pi. i, fig. 18; Lcfev. Rev. et May. Zool. 1875, 

 p. 128. 



Metallic cupreous ; antennae black ; elytra with four longi- 

 tudinal stripes of pale golden pubescence. 



Broad and robust. Head closely punctured with short yellow 

 pubescence, deeply longitudinally sulcate in the middle and above 

 the eyes. Antennae extending to base of thorax, basal six joints 

 cupreous, rest black. Thorax transverse, closely transversely 

 strigose, with three bands of pale yellow pubescence at the 

 middle and on sides. Scutellum pentagonal, pubescent. Elytra 

 very wide at base, convex, pointed at apex, with rows of strong 

 transverse punctures, interstices alternately purplish and pale 

 golden. Sides of breast densely pubescent ; abdomen and legs less 

 pubescent, bright metallic cupreous ; femora toothed. 



Length 8^ mm. 



Hob. India : Pusa ; Bombay. Cochinchina. 



The largest and handsomest species of the genus. Not un- 

 common in India. 



