of the Group Cerambycinse. 257 



serve to distinguish this species from any of the similarly 

 coloured and allied species. 



Plocederus purpuripenms^ sp. n. 



5 . Niger ; antennis pedibusque et abdomine rufescentibus, elytris 

 metallico-purpurascentibus ; prothorace supra transversim irregu- 

 lariterque rugoso ; elytris nitidis, minutissime subsparsimque 

 puuctulatis ; processu prosterni postice in medio obsolete tuber- 

 cidato. 



Long. 26, lat, 8| mm. 



Hob. Natal. 



Black, with the antennae, legs, and abdomen reddish, the 

 elytra purplish metallic and very glossy. Prothorax above 

 transversely and somewhat irregularly wrinkled, without 

 oblique impressions on the disk. Elytra very minutely and 

 somewhat sparsely punctulate, with the punctures almost 

 equal in size and pretty evenly spread over the whole surface ; 

 apices truncate, with the outer angles dentate. 



The character of the punctuation of the elytra is alone 

 almost sufficient to distinguish this from any of the allied 

 species. The species seems to me to come nearest to P. 

 viridipennis. 



Plocederus melancholicus (Dupont, MS.), sp. n. 

 Hamaticherus fucatus, Dej. Cat., nee Thoms. 



Piceo-fuscus, subtiliter cinereo-pubescens ; capite margino clypei 

 leviter sinuata ; prothorace supra irregulariter minus fortiter 

 rugoso, sulcis obliquis obsoletis impresso ; antennis articulis a 

 quarto ad decimum apico interne denticulato-j)roductis. 



Long. 25-35, lat. 7|-10| mm. 



Hah. West Africa. 



Head with the clypeal margin slightly sinuate ; with the 

 frontal plaque almost in the form of a transverse carina. 

 Antennae with the third joint unarmed; with the joints from 

 the fourth to the tenth each produced at the inner apical 

 termination into a denticulate process. Prothorax acutely 

 spined at the sides, irregularly and not very strongly wrinkled 

 above^ with some very faint oblique impressions, marking off 

 a sort of diamond-shaped central area. Elytra dark brown 

 with a tint of red, clothed with a rather faint ashy pubes- 

 cence ; closely and minutely punctured, with the punctures 

 somewhat unequal in size ; apices truncate, with the sutural 

 angles briefly spined, the external angles dentate. 



