18 Dr. G. A. K. Marsliall on Ajrican 



and moderately so on its long a\is, finely wrinkled longi- 

 tudinally (the sculpture hidden by the scaling, but the 

 ridges sliowing through here and there like shiny granules), 

 and with a broad central furrow, which is almost filled by a 

 l)road, flattened, shiny, impunctate carina. Elytra oval, 

 l)roadest about the middle, jointly sinuate at the base, with 

 the external angles projecting forwards into a short blunt 

 point ; when tlie scaling is intact the strise appear narrow 

 and very shallot', the intervals being broad, fiat, and set 

 with minute indistinct punctures (hidden by the scaling) ; 

 the scales are small, almost circular, and contiguous, but not 

 overlap[)ing ; the setie are short, dark, scale-like, and 

 recumbent. Legs with the corbels of the hind tibije bare, 

 and the apical margin narrowly enclosed ; the front tibiae 

 WMthout distinct apical teeth. Sternum Avith the mesepi- 

 sterna l)roadly meeting the elytra. 



Length 3j-4 mm., breadth 13-2 mm. 



Traxsvaal : Nabooraspruit (Z). Anderson). 



An isolated species, distinguished by its long narrow 

 rostrum, prominent eyes, and toothed prothorax. 



Received from the Division of Entomology, Pretoria, 

 with the information that the beetles were destroying young 

 maize-plants. 



Genus Ledrops, nov. 



Head broad, the forehead almost flat and MJth a central 

 stria which does not quite reach the vertex ; eyes quite 

 lateral, short-oval, horizontal, and only slightly convex, the 

 curvature being unusually low as compared with allied 

 genera. Rostrum a liitle longer than the head, strongly 

 narrowed from base to apex, and completely continuous 

 with the forehead ; genae not dilated ; epistome small, 

 depressed, the sides not carinate, the front margin shallowly 

 sinuate ; mandibles scaly and multisetose,. with a strong 

 median tooth, the scar almost circular and not very distinct; 

 mentum with the basal half depressed and more or less 

 deeply sunk in its cavity, the front half with numerous setae; 

 scrobes very narrowly vi.'sible from above and broadly dilated 

 behind. Antenna with the scape slender, aljru|)tly clavate 

 and reaching about the middle of the eye; funiclesquaniose, 

 joint 1 much longer than 2, the remainder slightly longer 

 than broad. Prothorax broadest at the base, the basal 

 margin rounded. Scuiellimi minute. Elytra fitting very 

 closely to the prothorax, their sides forming very nearly a 

 continuous line: the dorsal longitudinal curvature very flat 



I 



