640 MR. G. C. CHAMPION ON COLEOPTERA [NoV. 18, 



Sterces, gen. nov. 



Mentum strongly transverse, flat ; labial and maxillary palpi with 

 their last joint ovate, obliquely truncate at the apex (that of the 

 maxillary pair subtriaugular in S. violaceipennis) ; ligula largely 

 developed, triangularly raised in the middle between the point of 

 insertion of the labial palpi, deeply emargiuate in the centre at the 

 apex ; mandibles feebly emargiuate at the tip ; head short, feebly 

 emargiuate in front, not deeply sunk into the prothorax, distinctly 

 narrowed behind the eyes, the antenuary orbits not proraiuent, the 

 epistoma short, limited behind by a faintly impressed groove ; the 

 eyes rather convex, coarsely granulated, moderately large ; antennae 

 short, not or scarcely reaching the base of the prothorax, the six 

 outer joints broadly dilated and punctured, 6-10 transverse, II much 

 longer than 10, the five basal joints almost smooth ; prothorax as 

 long as broad, subquadrate, somewhat cylindrical, very acutely 

 margined at the sides, the base bisinuate and distinctly margined ; 

 scutellum subtriaugular ; elytra about one half broader than and 

 fully four times as long as the prothorax, parallel towards the base, 

 a little dilated at the middle, and obliquely converging behind, very 

 sharply margined at the sides (the margin deeply grooved within) 

 from the base nearly to the apex, the epipleurse reaching as far as the 

 apex of the fourth ventral segment and strongly sinuous posteriorly ; 

 prosternum abruptly declivous behind the anterior coxae and extending 

 as far as the base of the prothorax, a little raised at the apex ; meso- 

 sternum triangularly excavate in front, ^-shaped ; iutercoxal process 

 of the abdomen subtriangular ; legs short ; tlie femora not clavate ; 

 the tarsal joints (the apical one excepted) broad and compressed and 

 clothed beneath with a dense brush of spongy hairs (this clothing 

 being extended on to the apex of each of the tibiae), the penultimate 

 joint deeply excavate above, as broad as the preceding joint, and 

 slightly emargiuate at the apex, the first joint of the posterior pair 

 about one third longer than the following joint ; tibial spurs 

 obsolete ; claws furnished with a long sharp tooth at the middle 

 within ; body elongate and somewhat cylindrical, metallic, glabrous. 

 This new genus is proposed for an interesting species belonging to 

 the group Cnodalonides ; a closely allied form, from Lagos ^ also 



* Sterces violaceipennis. 



Less elongate than S. rcsplendens ; the head uot depressed iu the middle be- 

 tween the eyes ; the antemiaj shorter, joints G-10 shorter and much more 

 strongly transverse; the prothorax more parallel at the sides behind, the hiad 

 angles more rectangular, the transverse basal depression deeper, the disc not 

 canaliculate in front, the punctuation a little coarser (similar to that of the 

 head) ; the elytra relatively shorter, bright violaceous, coppery in certain lights, 

 a little more deeply punctate-striate ; the legs shorter ; the femora and tibia, 

 except at the base and apex, reddish-testaceous, this colour occupying more of 

 the basal portion of the femora than in 8. rcsplendens ; the rest as in 

 S. rcsplendens. 



Length 14, breadth 4|^ millim. 



Hah. Lagos (coll. F. Bates). 



One example, appai'ently a male. 



