490 Mr. G. C. Champion on 



3. Philhedonus coriaceus. 



$. HefJ>/bms coriaceus, Er. Eutomographien, p. 95 (1840)^, 

 2 . Hedi/hius coriaceus, var. obscuritarsis, Pic, L'Ecliauge, xxvii. p. 157 

 (191])^. 



cJ . Elongate, widened posteriorly, shining, clothed with 

 fine whitish pnhescence intermixed on the elytra with long, 

 erect, black hairs ; head (except two very small spots in front 

 in one specimen and the black basal portion, the latter 

 sharply defined and trisinuate anteriorly), antennae (except 

 joints 6-11, which are black), prothorax (except a very broad, 

 large, transversely-cordate, black space in front, not quite 

 reaching the anterior margin), and legs (the tarsi in part 

 excepted) testaceous, the scutellum and elytra cceruleo- or 

 cupreo- violaceous, the metasternum and abdomen green. 

 Head (PI. XIV. fig. 37) broad, the testaceous anterior portion 

 flattened, subopaque, closely punctulate, the black basal 

 portion limited in front by a trisinuate ridge, the vertex with 

 a A-shaped, concave area in the centre, the space on each 

 side of this somewhat depressed ; antennse rather slender, 

 moderately long, joints 6-10 elongate-triangular. Prothorax 

 broad, as wide as the head and the basal portion of the elytra, 

 rounded at the sides, mucli narrowed behind ; very sparsely, 

 minutely punctate, witli a matted tuft of long, curled, erect 

 hairs in the centre in front. Elytra more or less uneven, 

 rugulosely punctate. Pygidium bidentate at the tip. 

 Anterior tarsi 4-jointed, 1 and 2 thickened, long. 



? . AnteniiBe shorter and more slender, the basal joints 

 sometimes nigro-iineate above ; head simply flattened ; pro- 

 thorax with a similar transverse black space on the disc 

 anteriorly, which is biramose behind in one specimen ; inter- 

 mediate tibife and tarsi (or the tarsi alone), and the posterior 

 legs wholly or in part, black. 



Length 4-5^ mm. (J ? .) 



Hab. S. Afkica, Cape of Good Hope ^ ((y/>e of Erichson : 

 ? ), Willowmore, Saldanha Bay, Cape Town, Clanwilliam, 

 Bechuanaland, Garies {Mus. Cape Toivn) '^ E. Africa^. 



Three S S captured by Dr. Brauns at Willowmore are 

 referred to tliis species. The numerous $ ? seen vary 

 greatly inter se (three of these having very uneven, sparsely 

 punctured elytra), but some of them agree well with 

 Erichson's description of that sex, these specimens having 

 the posterior legs black. The head, when partly withdrawn, 

 appears to have two black patclies at the base in both sexes. 



