Melolonthine Beetles of Ceylon. 437 
surface and pygidium are clothed with erect, not very long or 
close, hairs, and a very few similar hairs are traceable upon 
the upper surface. ‘lhe legs are long and slender, the front 
tibia armed with three teeth, of which the uppermost is very 
blunt. 
I refer this provisionally to the genus Scrica, although, 
according to Brenske’s unsatisfactory table of the genera 
(Berl. ent. Zeit. xlii, 1897, p. 354), it should be placed in a 
different section on account of its tridentate front tibiae. The 
only alternative is the creation of another new genus, which 
is undesirable upon such slight ground and in the present 
tangled state of the group. A closely related species is 
“ Sericesthis” confirmata, Walker, which is scarcely more 
than half the length of S. maculicauda and more elongate. 
These two insects have a marked affinity to the species of 
Selaserica. ‘ 
Autoserica dubia, sp. n. 
Nigro-fusca, clypeo pedibus corporeque subtus rufis, sericeo-opaca, 
sparsissime erecte setosa, elongato-ovata, pedibus gracilibus, tibia 
postica paulo dilatata, valde spinosa, calcare superiori longitudine 
ad tarsi articulum primum quali, clypeo nitido, leviter punctato, 
antice paulo tumido, subtiliter emarginato; pronoto parce et 
minute punctato, lateribus fere rectis, antice leviter arcuatis, 
angulis posticis fere rectis; scutello elongato, acuto; elytris 
punctato-striatis, interstitiis conyexis, vix punctatis; pygidio 
parce subtiliter punctato: 
¢, oculis magnis, clava antennali longe triflabellata. 
Long. 8-9 mm. 
Hab. Cxeyion: Pattipola (May, EZ. LE. Green). 
This species closely resembles A. weligamana, Brenske, 
and I have, therefore, referred it to Autoserica, although in 
both species the legs are slender, and they would be almost 
equally well placed in the genus Serica. 
A, dubia has the same elongate-oval shape as the allied 
species, as well as the dark brown colour and dull silky lustre 
of the upper surface ; but the minute scale-like sete are 
scarcely perceptible and the erect bristles are extremely few. 
In the male the eyes are much larger (the diameter of each 
not much less than the width of the space separating them) 
and the club of the antenna is much longer. The punctura- 
tion is very fine everywhere, moderately close in the elytral 
strie, and very sparse elsewhere. ‘lhe clypeus is very 
shining; feebly emarginate in front, the front tibia strongly 
