no Mr. G. J. Arrow on Melohnthme Coleoptera. 



and Fi'hruary. Both arc nocturiuilj and hide in loose soil 

 during the day. 



There is anotlier closely similar species, of which specimens 

 are probably included aniaii*^st those enumerated by Perin- 

 gupy, and which I have wronti;ly dcteiinined as S. ver- 

 tuiunns in D^nkschr. Med. Nat. (jresellscli. xiii. 190S, p. 438. 

 I now call it 



''^p irnu'innni sunilis, so. n. 



Pullido flava, capite, pronoto, scutello, pectore abdorainoque l<)np;e 

 et densissime lanatis. S. JJaviv vaklc siinilis, sed clypco paulo 

 minus profunde excise, elytris crebrius sed minus distiacte 

 puiictatis tarsiscpie paulo minus elongatis. 



Lung. 22 mm.: lat. ll'o mm. 



flab. S.W.Africa: Hereroland. 



This has an extremely close re-?emblance to S. Jlava, bat 

 the elytra are finely and confusedly, instead of stronojly and 

 sparingly, punctured, the clypeus is acutely, but less deeply, 

 notched in the middle, and its sides a little less rounded, and 

 the tarsi, or, at least, the middle ones of the male, are not 

 quite so long. The sedeagus of the male is drawn out into a 

 tube just behind the orifice. 



Upon p. 287 of his Catalogue already referred to, Mr. 

 Perii:guey recognizes two Soutli-African species only of the 

 genus Asthenopholis — subfasciatus, Blanch., and crassus. 

 Arrow ; but the species to which he has wrongly applied the 

 latter name is evidently the true A. adspersus. Boh. { = trcms- 

 vaalensU, Brenske), and in A. subfasciatus he has included 

 the quite distinct A. minor, Brenske. These four species 

 may be distinguished as follows : — 



I. Scutellum well punctured ; hind tibia little 



dilated at the end. 



a. Scales of the upper surface long and hair-like . snhfasciatus, Bl. 



b. Scales of the upper surface short and broad . . viinor, Brenske. 



II. Scutellum smooth or almost smooth ; hind tibia 



stronglj' dilated at the end. 



c. Pr.motum moderately covered with long setae . adupersus, Bohem. 



d. Prunotum closely covered with oval scales . . crassus, Arrow. 



A. subfasciatus seems to be confined to Cape Colony, 

 A. minor to Natal, A. adspersus to Natal and the Transvaal, 

 whilst A. crassus is known only from British East Africa. 

 )irenske's species were determined for me by himself, and 

 Mr. Peringuey has certainly determined them wrongly. 



