new S/iecic.t of Illsteriilaj. 185 



Oval, a little convex, black and shining; the head is 

 smooth, with two bent striaj on the forehead, clypeus is 

 sli<^htly impressed; the thorax, the marginal stria is very- 

 fine and i'pparcntly commences beliind the anterior angle and 

 is continue(l behind the head, the lateral stria is clearly 

 marked, it joins the marginal stria behind the eyes and is 

 slightly hamate inwardly at the base; the elytra, stride, 1 

 complete, 2 shortened before the base, 3 basal not quite 

 reaching the middle and it has a short apical appendage; the 

 propygidium has a few jiunctures arranged transversely ; the 

 pygidium, the outer border is elevated into a thickened smooth 

 rim and the surface within is densely punctate ; the ))ro- 

 sternum is bislriate, the stride joining anteriorly; the meso- 

 sternnm is sinuous and marginate; the anterior tibiae have 

 6 or 7 small teeth and the intermediate and hind tibijB are 

 spinose, especially near the tarsi. 



'IMiis is the largest species of the genus at present known. 



IJab. ^lentawei I. (Modigliani, 1894). 



In the Genoa Museum and my own collection. 



Contipus fractistrius, sp. n. 



Contipus proximo simillimus, sed ditFert minus convexus et pronoto 



stria laterali interna post oculos iiiterrupta, 

 L. 10 mill. 



Oval, convex, black and shining ; the frontal stria com- 

 plete and nearly straight anteriorly; the thorax, marginal 

 stria complete, outer lateral evanescent at the anterior angles, 

 irmer arched behind the eye, and after a small interruption 

 is continued almost in a straight line behind the neck ; the 

 elytra, tlie dorsal striae are didymous and are like those of 

 proximus, except that the first stiia is not incurved at the 

 base ; the propygidium and pygidium are very finely punctu- 

 late, the former is without foveas^ the latter has a raised 

 margin which is longer than that of proximus ; the meso- 

 sternum is slightly sinuous, with a well-marked marginal 

 stria; the anterior tibise are 3-dentate. 



This species is more oval in outline and less convex than 

 proximus, and the t'orm of the iinier thoracic stripe will distin- 

 guish it from the other three similar species. Contipus 

 sinuosus, Lew. (Ann. Mas. Genova, 1906), is the largest and 

 most convex species with didymous striae, and it has the fifth 

 dorsal stria conspicuously sinuous apically. 

 ■Bob. Calabar. 



One example in the British Museum from the Murray 

 Collection. 



