256 Mr. G. Lewis on 



punctate, with an obsolete smooth spot on the vertex ; the 

 thorax is closely punctate outwardly and scarcely less so on 

 the disc, marginal stria complete; the elytra are similarly 

 punctate, with a transverse impression near the base ; the 

 pygidia, the punctuation is slightly finer than that of the 

 elytra, the carina on the pygidium is well marked ; the pro- 

 sternum punctate, punctures smaller and less close anteriorly ; 

 the mesosternum is immarginate anteriorly and the meta- j| 



sternal suture is fine but visible, surface punctate; the 

 metasternum is somewhat irregularly punctured, and the first 

 abdominal segment is evenly punctate ; the scape of the 

 antennae in S is furnished with flavous hair. 



This species is much less robust and smaller i\m\\ festivum^ 

 Lew. (which measures 2>\ mm.), and the surface punctuation 

 is coarser and more dense, especially noticeable on the 

 thoracic disc and on the scutellar region. The metasternal 

 suture is not visible in fesiivum. Both species agree in the 

 form of the mesosternum, anteriorly it is arched in outline, 

 not acuminate. 



Hub. latahy. Province of Goyas. Four examples. 



Teretriosoma stebbingi, Lew. Ann. N. Hist. viii. p. 380 

 (1901;. 



$. cristatum, Lew. I. c. p. 381. 



After examining a series of the species, I find that the 

 characters I relied on as being specific are sexual. I took 

 the long palish hair on the scape of the antenna for a 

 masculine character ; the male has a pilosity, but it is much 

 less conspicuous. Dr. Sharp has kindly made dissections of 

 this species. 



Plcesius acutidens, sp. n. 



Oblongus, niger, nitidus ; fronte distiucte bistriata ; pronoto stria 

 marginali antice interrupta ; propygidio margine antice anguste 

 laevi, postice baud dense punctato ; pjgidio subconvexo parum 

 transverse ; prosterno baud striate. 



L. 10 mm. 



Oblong, black and shining ; forehead bistriate, surface 

 with some fine punctures, mandibles sparsely punctulate, 

 with a small but acute tooth on the inner edge ; the thorax, 

 marginal stria interrupted behind the head ; the elytra, 

 inner subhumeral stria shortened before and behind, outer 

 very short and median, first dorsal apical and shortened 

 before the middle 2-3 apical very short, punctiform or 



I 



