Mr. G. J. Arrow on Melohntlnne Coleoptera. 59 



III. — Some Sijstemaiic Xoies on Meldonthine Coleoptera. 

 By GiLBEJiT J. Aruow. 



(PuLlislied by perniissiou of tlie Trustees of tlie British Museum.) 



Mr. L. PerIXGUEY, in his " Catalogue of the Coleoptera of 

 S. Africa" (Trans. S. Afr. Phil. Soc. xiii. 1904, p. 174), puts 

 at the head o£ the genus Sparrmannia a species which he 

 calls vertiamiwi, Pall, (with the names alopex, F., and 

 bruntiipennis, (jast., as synonyms), nientioniiig a typical 

 form with pale testaceous colour as inhabiting the Karroo 

 region, and a form with " light ■" (apparently meaning dark) 

 chestnut elytra in Naniaqualand, Biishnianlaud, and Damara- 

 land. The recent Catalogue of Dalla Torre ado])ts this 

 synonymy, but separates as a variety the dark form hrunni- 

 pennis. 



Dr. H. Brauns has lately sent a series of this dark form, 

 wliich he has found in abundance in the Uniorulale district of 

 Cape Colony, while the light form is equally abundant in the 

 Willowmore district, oidy 42 miles to the south, but separated 

 by the range of the Zwaarlberg running from west to east 

 across the continent. Examination has proved that the two 

 forms are quite distinct, and Fabricius's description shows 

 that it is the dark form which is the true S. alopex. It was 

 Fabricius hiniselt who, in his Syst. Eleut. ii. p. 163, identified 

 this insect with the Scarabceun vertumnus of Pallas, but with 

 strange carelessness, tor the latter is a Russian species, 

 ap|)arently belonging to the genus Rhizotrogus, 



The light-coloured Sparrmannia, described at length by 

 Peringuey, is therefore without a name, and I propose to 

 call it 



Sparrmannia flava, sp. n. 



In addition to the pale-coloured elytra, this species differs 

 from S. alopex in their more distinct and regular punctura- 

 ti<ui, in the longer tarsi of both sexes, and especially in the 

 longer middle tarsi and more dilated hind tibiae of the male. 

 The aideagus is figured by Pei ingiiey. That of S. alopex is 

 much shorter and blunter. Dr. Brauns states that, while 

 S. fldva occurs together with S. alopex north of the dividing 

 range, he has never seen the latter south of the mountains, 

 and tiiat no specimens of intermediate coloration are touiul. 

 S.jlava generally appears at Willowmore towards Christmas 

 time, wiiile S. alopex is latei', generally appearing in January 



