South African Species o/' Hypolitliiis. 373 



inseparable from specimens of //. interstitialis, Boh., as inter- 

 preted by me. Interstilialis, lioh., is abont the commonest 

 Hypolithus we have in or about Durlian, and these s[)eeimen.s 

 do not differ in the slightest from those received from 

 Salisbury as uvaiiijiuensis, Per.* IJohenian in his tlescription 

 of interstitialis does not mention any iridescence being 

 present, but this is a very variable factor in many species, 

 and in this one it is never very conspicuous, though usually 

 present. 



Peringuey compares his ovamponnus with his pairuelis 



thus : '"sides of prothorax not so parallel there is no 



trace of punctures on seventh interval in pairuelis." 



The two specimens before me labelled ovampoensis have 

 prothoraces exactly siuiilarly shaped to those of patruelis, 

 and the seriate punctures on the seventh intervals are also 

 wanting. However, in some examples of interstitialis = 

 ovai/ipoanus these punctures are present. The incidence of 

 these punctures (although helpful) is not very reliable, as 

 variations in this respect are shown in individuals of several 

 species of this genus. 



Hypolithus marshalli, sp. u. 



Length 8| mm. ; width 3^ mm. 



Piceous red, brilliantly glossed with metallic green on the 

 upperside. Antenna', palpi, and legs testaceous yellow ; 

 labrum, margin of epistome, mandibles, and refiexed border 

 of prothorax reddish testaceous. 



Head and protfiorax very sliiny, the former densely faintly 

 aciculate, frontal foveaj and transverse suture shallowly 

 defined. Anterior })art of prothorax densely aciculate, base 

 and sides very densely and finely punctate, median groove 

 deep, not quite reacliing apex or base, basal depressions 

 shallow and inconspicuous, apex narrowly raised in the 

 middle, a little sinuate on either side and with front angles 

 very broadly rounded ; sides gently ampliate to about middle, 

 thence, except for a very slight sinuation immediately above, 

 straight to posterior angles, which are sharply rigiit ; base a 

 little wider than apex, truncate, very slightly emarginate 

 medially. 



Elytra short, base of equal width with that of prothorax, 

 truncate, angles sharp, hardly widening below ; sides parallel 

 to postez'ior declivity, rounded to and sinuate before apices, 



* Sic, as received by me, but published " ovampo(miis." 

 Atin. & Mag. N. Hist. ISer. \). \\>L x. 2G 



