Mr. F. P. Pascoe on Sphserion and Mallocera. 479 



Spharion suiurale. 



S. Isete rufo-castaneum, nitidum ; elytris testaceis, sutura spinisque 

 nigris ; antennis, scapo excepto, tibiis tarsisque nigris. 



Hab. Brazil. 



Head, prothorax, femora, and body beneath bright glossy 

 reddish chestnut; elytra testaceous, the suture and apical spines 

 black ; prothorax subcylindrical, the disk with four obtuse tu- 

 bercles; elytra finely punctured, with three scarcely apparent 

 pale lines on each ; antennae, except the scape, tibise, and tarsi, 

 dull black. Length 10 lines. 



Resembles in general coloration S. terminatum, Perroud, but 

 with black antennse, suture, tibial, &c., and the prothorax en- 

 tirely different in form, and without the central tubercle ; above 

 all, with the posterior femora nearly linear, as in Elaphidion. 



Sphcerion geniculatum. 



S, testaceum, nitidum ; capita prothoraceque castaneis, hoc oblongo- 

 ovato ; disco transversim plicate ; femoribus apice nigris. 



Hab. Brazil. 



Testaceoiis, shining; head and prothorax reddish chestnut, 

 the latter oblong ovate, without spines or tubercles, finely plicate 

 across the disk; elytra with small distant punctures, the suture 

 near the apex and spines black ; body beneath pale chestnut ; 

 femora with their apices glossy black ; antennse pale testaceous. 

 Length 7 lines. 



Spharion plicicoUe, Germ., its nearest ally, has a broad pro- 

 thorax, scarcely shining, with much coarser sculpture, the punc- 

 tures on the base of the elytra larger and crowded together, and 

 the femora nearly unicolorous. 



Mephritus. 



Caput inter antennas projectum. 



Prothorax subdepressus. 



Tibia compressse, posticse apice baud spinosae. 



The compressed tibiae, which are strengthened by a strong 

 ridge on each side for their whole length, and the absence of a 

 true spine to the hinder pair (replaced, however, by a broad 

 angular process) cut ofi" this genus from all its allies. The 

 head is very short, and between the bases of the antennse there 

 is a prominent roll, formed apparently by the antennary tubers, 

 which are otherwise obsolete ; the antennse are longer than the 

 body, fimbriated beneath, the third, fourth, and fifth joints 

 deeply grooved, and they are also spined at the apex ; the pro- 

 thorax is slightly transverse, obscurely tuberculate on the disk, 

 the sides projecting into a short spine nearly in the middle ; the 



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