Coleoptera from the J^ilgiri Ilills. 469 



there is consequently some doubt wliefclier a large Serica 

 found hy Mr. Barber in the Nilgiri Hills really belongs to it. 

 It possesses, however, the chief character of Melaserica, viz. 

 that in the male the club of the antenna has five leaflets. la 

 the Kilgiri species there are really five leaflets in the male, 

 and, in addition, a considerable prolongation of the fifth 

 joint. In the female of M. Barheri there are only four 

 leaflets in the club. The eyes in J/. 5;-e??5Z;ei are remarkably 

 large, and as they are small in M. titibetana, and as the 

 specific characters of the two are very diflferent, it must 

 remain doubtful whether the two forms are really congeneric. 



Melaserica ? Barheri, sp. n. 



Suboblonga, valde convexa, rufescens, supra (praesertim anterius) 



late nigricans ; obsolete punctata, elytris leviter striatis. 

 Long. 11 mm. 



Clypeus red, vertex black, the former shining and coarsely 

 punctate, the latter dull and impunctate, so that the two parts 

 are very different. Eyes large and convex. Thorax short, 

 narrowed in front, the side very little rounded, the hind 

 angles nearly rectangular, only prevented from being so by a 

 short obliquity or change of direction in the base close to 

 them ; the surface broadly black, redder about the sides, 

 very dull, almost impunctate. Scutellum elongate, obso- 

 letely punctate. Elytra about the base and suture black, 

 feebly striate, with the interstices slightly convex ; dull and 

 almost destitute of punctuation. Pygidium large, black, 

 marked with red along the middle and at the sides. Under 

 surface red, very dull ; middle cox^e but little separated ; 

 lower face of hind femur dull and impunctate. 



The female agrees rather closely with the male except in 

 the structure of the antennai and in the eyes being a little 

 smaller. 



Ootacamund {C. A. Barber, no. 210); Nilgiri Hills {Sir 

 O. F, Bampson, 94-89, Brit. Mus. Coll.). In the collections 

 of i\\Q Cambridge Museum, British Museum, and D. Sharp. 



Serica nilgire7isisj sp. n. 



Affinis S. indicce, Bl. Suboblonga, rufescens, supra vix opalesceus ; 

 elytris crebre irregulariter punctatis, leviter striatis, interstitiis 

 subconvexis. 



Differs in numerous details from S. indi'ca, to which it is 

 closely allied. Male club of antenna very elongate, twice as 



