256 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



The fifth family of tetramerous beetles, accord- 

 ing to the system of Latreille, comprehends the ge- 

 nus .SAGRA, which has the palpi terminated by an 

 oval joint, the thorax cylindrical, and the antennae 

 filiform, with the four lowest joints shorter than 

 the others. The hinder thighs are very thick, es- 

 pecially in one of the sexes. The species are con- 

 fined to Africa, the island of Ceylon, and China. 



SAGRA BUQUETII. 



PLATE XXVII. 

 Lesson's Illustration* de Zoologie, pi. 30. 



The male is about thirteen lines long and six 

 broad. The surface of the body is perfectly smooth 

 and polished, of a brilliant green, with purple and 

 coppery reflections of the highest resplendency, 

 especially on the elytra. The hinder thighs are 

 remarkably long and thick, and armed beneath with 

 a few acute teeth ; the hinder tibiae are garnished 

 with long rust-red hairs. The female does not ex- 

 ceed eleven lines in length. The body is not so 

 much narrowed behind as that of the male ; the thighs 

 of the hinder legs are oval, and the tibiae naked. It 

 inhabits Cochin China, and is probably synonymous 

 with S. Boisduvalii (Dejean), of which we have seen 

 a multitude of specimens from Java. 



The CASSID^B, or Tortoise-beetles as they are 

 sometimes called, are chiefly remarkable for a habit 



