630. 

 ALTICA OCHRIPES. 



Order Coleoptera. Fam. Chrysomelidae. — Galerucitse Lat. 



Type of the Genus, Chrysomela Nemorum Linn. 

 Altica Geoff., Oliv.,Ill.,Lat. — Haltica Gyll., Curt. — Saltatrices ///. 

 Antennee inserted a little before the eyes, on each side the cly- 

 peus, rather shorter than the insect, filiform, compressed, pube- 

 scent, 11-jointed, basal joint elongate-clavate, curved, 2nd glo- 

 bose, 3rd cup-shaped, 4th dilated very large, the remainder 

 oblong, slightly increasing in length, the apical joint being 

 nearly as long as the 1st (6 ^), 2nd and 3rd joints ovate in the 

 female, the remainder considerably elongated, especially the 4th. 

 Labrum large transverse, a little narrowed before, the anterior 

 margin slightly emarginate, with a few short bristles (1). 

 Mandibles semilunate, one terminated by 3, the other by 4 sharp 

 teeth, the 2nd being the longest, the lower one the smallest (2). 

 Maxilla small, terminated by 2 lobes, densely ciliated at the 

 apex, the inner one suborbicular, the outer one clavate, being 

 an articulated subovate lobe. Palpi moderately long and stout, 

 4-jointed, basal joint small, 2nd a little the longest, clavate, 

 truncated obliquely, 3rd nearly as long, broader at the apex, 

 rhomboidal, 4th stout and conical (3). 



Mentuni suborbicular, the basal angles produced. Labium sub- 

 ovate, homy and truncated at the base with a leathery margin 

 in front, the sides excavated to receive the Palpi, which are very 

 short stout and triarticulate, basal joint cup-shaped, 2nd rhom- 

 boidal, 3rd slender, pear-shaped (4). 

 Head suborbicular : eyes lateral, globose, prominent and not touching 

 the Thorax which is not broad yet transverse : scutel minute. Elytra 

 broader than the thorax, elliptical: wings ample. Legs, hinder 

 rather the longest and formed for leaping, the thighs being incrus- 

 sated : tibiae clavate, hinder pectinated externally towards the apex : 

 tarsi not so long as the tibicB, attached to the apex, very pubescent 

 beneath, 4-jointed, basal joint obtrigonate, elongated in the hinder 

 pair, "ind joint shorter, 3rd bilobed, 4th slender clavate (5 f)- 

 Obs. The species dissected and described is A. antennata (J . 



OcHRiPES Curt. Guide, Gen. 427. 4. 



Black, shining, thickly punctured ; antennae with the 3 basal 

 joints ochreous in the male, the 4th and 5th black, the latter in- 

 crassated, the remainder ochreous-brown, sometimes black ; en- 

 tirely ochreous in the female, brightest at the base, the 5th joint 

 elongated (6 $ ) : elytra with a broad ochreous stripe on each, 

 not reaching the apex, with a large subtrigonate black space 

 on the outer margin, rarely passing through and forming a black 

 bar across the middle: legs bright ochre, hinder thighs black. 



Geoffroy, who constituted this genus, havuig called it Altica, 

 the original spelling is retained, although Haltica may be con- 

 sidered more classical. The present is another of Illiger's 

 groups, and contains so great a number of species that I can 

 only give their names under the different sections. 



I. Antennae with 4th joint longer than 5th, incrassated in the male. 

 1. antennata Oliv. 



