252 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CONTKIBUTIONS TO A KNOWLEDGE OF ETHIOPIAN 

 ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY.* 



By W. L. Distant. 



The genus Sahlbergella, Hagl. (Earn. Capsidae) is now known 

 by two species, both of which are injurious to the Cocoa-tree 

 {Theobroina, sp.) 



Genus Sahlbergella. 

 Sahlbergella, Hagl. Ofv. Vet.-Ak. Forh. 1895, p. 469 ; Eeut. 



Zool. Anz. xxxi. p. 102 (1907). 

 Deimatostages, Kuhlg. Zool. Anz. xxx. p. 29 (1906). 

 Gen. ? nov. Grab. Journ. Econ. Biol. iii. p. 113 (1898). 

 Type S. singularis, Hagl. 



Sahlbergella singularis. 

 Sahlbergella singularis, Hagl. Ofv. Vet.-Ak. Forh. 1895, p. 469 ; 

 Kirk, Wien. Ent. Zeit. xxii. p. 13, fig. 1 (1903); Eeut. 

 Zool. Anz. xxxi. 102 (1907). 

 Deimatostages contuma.v, Kuhlg. Zool. Anz. xxx. p. 31, figs. 



1-4 (1906). 

 Gen.? nov. longicornis, Grab. Journ. Econ. Biol. iii. p. 113, 



pi. viii. figs. 1-2 (1908). 

 In S. Ashanti, according to Dr. Graham (sapi-a), " very large 

 numbers of these insects were found on the diseased trees, and 

 not on the healthy ones. They appear to damage the trees by 

 perforating the bark and so producing ' gumming.'" 



Sahlbergella theohroma, sp. n. 

 Black ; posterior lateral margins to pronotum, base and costal 

 margin to cerium, irregular segmental spots to connexivum, lateral 

 areas of meso- and metasterna and disk of abdomen beneath fuscous 

 or brownish-ochraceous ; antennae incrassate, basal joint considerably 

 thickened and shorter than fourth joint, second gradually thickened 

 from base, globosely incrassate at apex and about as long as head 

 and pronotum together, second and third joints very stout and pyri- 

 form, third longer than fourth ; pronotum slightly but distinctly 

 gibbous behind the anterior pronotal angles, rugose, with scattered 

 tubercles ; scutellum prominently raised, rugose and tuberculate, the 

 apex robustly posteriorly produced and slightly curved downward ; 

 membrane opaque, considerably passing the abdominal apex ; tibiae 

 robust and strongly shortly pilose, the tarsi stramineous. Long 

 inch tegm. 8^ to 10 millim. 



Hab. Gold Coast : Fancheneko (Dudgeon — type Brit. Mus.) 



Allied to S. singularis, Hagl., but differing in the black 



coloration, the shorter second joint of the antennae, rugose 



pronotum and scutellum, and the more apically recurved 



scutellum. 



■■'■ A previous communication as regards cotton pests will be found in 

 ' Entomologist,' 1906, p. 269. 



