Sez/cheUes and Rangoon. 31 



14. Orthoperus niinutissimus, Matthews (?). 

 (PI. V. tig. 44.) 



Orthoperus 7ninutis?imus, Matthews, Mon. Corylophidas, 1899, p. 196. 



A sin<;Ie ^, in bad jn-eservatioii. Pitchy fuscous, legs 

 and anteinue lighter, shining and quite glaTirous above. 

 Tliovax not (or scarcely) punctured. Elytra finely and sub- 

 obsoletely puncture^], the punctures more than their own 

 diameter apart. Ventrally the metasternum is impunctate 

 in the middle, bat its sides and the first abdominal segment 

 have verv fine punctures several times their own diameter 

 apart. Wings not examined. 



So far as can be seen in its bad icondition, the specimen 

 agrees in size, colour, and punctuation with an example in 

 Matthews's Collection from Grenada, West Indies, placed as 

 O. minutissi/nus*. The two agree particularly in the form 

 of the front tibire, which are sharply incurved at the apex, 

 the inner apical angle forming a sharp heel. Fig. 44 shows 

 the right-hand front tibia in the West-Indian specimen. 



Loc. Seychelles : Silhouette, from Mare aux Oochons, 

 1000 feet or more, ix. 11)08. 0. tninutissimus^ Matth., is 

 recorded from South America and W^est Indies. 



1"). Orthoperus sp. 



Among the material from Rangoon is a single specimen, 

 peiliips not fully mature, of a very minute species, quite 

 distinct from 0. munice by the absence of the basal thoracic 

 series of punctures. In size and [/unctuation of the upjier 

 surface it is not unlike the example from Silhouette describe I 

 above and referred to 0. minutisshnus. It is just possible 

 that it is a ? of that species, since it probably belongs to the 

 $ sex, the front libiainot being incurved anii having no sliarf) 

 heel. The nutaslernum appears quite impunctate, even at 

 the sides ; diver<^ing striae perfectly distinct but not punc- 

 tured. Deterniinati'ii or further de-ciiption of this form is 

 ini])Ossible in the absence of more material. Wings not 

 examined. 



• The name and description of O. «n'rtJ<^iW/«?/s are published in square 

 Lrackets iu Matthews's ^lonoizruph, from his own MS. notes, by P. B. 

 Mason, editor of the Monoj^mph. Mason gives reasons for thinking that 

 Matthews probably intended to sink this name as a synonuu of O. per- 

 ptmlUts, Matth. I have, however, pro\-isioually retained the name 

 iniHutissimus, since lime has not admitted of an examination of ^latthews's 

 material sufficiently close to decide whether ininutissiimis and perpusillus 

 are identical or not. 



