384 Mr. J. Nietner on new Ceylon Coleoptei'a* 



Caput globosum, oculis raediocribus. Thorax pyriformis, CUm 

 capite supra punctatus. Elytra ovata. Tarsi art. 4° bilobato. 



Prope Negorabo in pratis sat copiosus. 



: In some of the specimens before me the anterior femora are 

 furnished with a strong spine inside, having at the same time 

 the tibiae of the same pair of legs slightly emargiuated inside 

 near the apex. I have reason to believe these individuals, if the 

 distinction be a sexual one, to be females, not males. 



25. Meligethes orientalis, N, 



M. ovatus, subconvexus, pilosus, supra nigro-seneus, subtus piceus, 

 pedibus, antenuis palpisque maxill. dilutioribus, tarsis palpisque 

 labial, brumieo-aureis. Long. corp. 1-1^ lin. 



Mentum transversum planum, punctatum, lobis apice depressis, 

 excavatis, glabris, obtusis. Palpi lab. art. ultimo inflate, ovate ; 

 maxill. art. ultimo apice angustato levissime truncate. Mandibulse 

 unidentatse. Thorax amplus angulis acutis, antice emarginatus, 

 postice pluries sinuatus, subtus punctatus. Elytra ovato-quadrata, 

 angulis 4 apicalibus rotu.ndatis, pygidium baud obtegentia. Pedes 

 A'alidi, femoribus tibiisque incrassatis ; anteriores tibiis apice iutus 

 unispinosis, tarsis art. 1-3 fortiter dilatatis, 1-2 subsequalibus trans- 

 versis, profunda reniformibus, 3° minere, cordate, 4° minime, sub- 

 cylindrico ; intermed. et post, tibiis extus spinulosis, tarsis anteriori- 

 bus similibus sed art. 1-3 minus dilatatis, cerdiformibus. Prester- 

 num marginatum, punctatum, obtuse acuminatum. Mesesternum 

 antice carinatum. 



Variat maguitudine et colore seneo-brunneo. 



Prepe Colombo in floribus per occasionem frequentissime legi. 



Of the usual shape and colour, but larger than usual, varying, 

 however, in this respect, some individuals being fully one-third 

 smaller than others. These small indi\dduals, which occur in 

 the proportion of about 1 to 20, are, moreover, nearly always of 

 a brownish metal colour, instead of a blackish green. I have 

 been unable to discover any other distinctions. I was much in- 

 terested by the discovery of these insects, having missed them 

 for years amongst the abundantly represented NitiduUdtB of the 

 island. They appear to be of local occurrence, or attached to cer- 

 tain plants, which is nearly the same. I find them in abundance 

 in the beautiful bell-shaped blossoms oi the Argyreia argentea and 

 one or two other plants in my garden. The species appears to 

 differ from the typical Meligethes in the following points : — the 

 structure of the mentum, which I have sufficiently described above; 

 the last jointof the labial palpi, which in this case is not truncated; 

 and the first of the antennse, which is externally incrassated, as 

 in Epurcea. The antennse are otherwise robust, the club is firm 



