1898.] PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA OY AFRICA. 213 



an acute tubercle, the middle of the disc with a broad baud of deep 

 punctures closely placed, ending in a fovea below, the base and the 

 entire sides strougly transversely plicate, the anterior portion 

 rugose-punctate ; elytra dark fulvous, with ten rows of very 

 regular-placed, mostly elongate deep punctures, which become 

 smaller and closely approached near the apex, the interstices 

 everywhere minutely aciculate or wrinkled, those at the apex 

 strongly costate ; underside and legs obscure aeneous. 



Hab. East Africa. 



This species, of which a single specimen is contained in my 

 collection, and another example in that of the British Museum, 

 although closely allied to L. dregei Lac, which it resembles in the 

 sculpturing of the thorax, seems quite distinct in regard to the 

 colour and punctuation of the elytra, in which respect it likewise 

 differs from L. australis Lac. and several of the allied forms. In 

 L. dregei the elytra are of a greenish or bluish tint, the punctures 

 are round and deep and less regularly placed ; in the present 

 insect the elytra are dark fulvous, extremely regularly punctured, 

 the punctures are less deep and for the most part elongate, and 

 the interstices are everywhere minutely aciculate, which is not the 

 case in any of the allied forms from the same country ; the thorax 

 is also rather more elongate than usual, and the insect of larger 

 size. 1 have given here a second description of this species, the 

 origiual of which has been published in Italian by Dr. Grestro '. 



Lema picticollis, sp. nov. 



Below black, above fulvous, the antennae (the basal three joints 

 excepted) and two spots on the thorax black ; elytra moderately 

 strongly punctured, the interstices impunctate ; middle portion of 

 the femora, the apex of the tibiae, and the tarsi black. 



Length 8 millim. 



Parallel and cylindrical, the head very deeply constricted behind, 

 the neck black, the rest fulvous, frontal tubercles strongly raised ; 

 antennae rather short, black, the lower three joints and the base 

 of the fourth fulvous ; thorax as broad as long, the sides strongly 

 and rather suddenly constricted at the middle, the anterior angles 

 blunt, the surface entirely impunctate, with two black spots at 

 the middle ; scutellum fulvous ; elytra with the basal portion 

 slightly convex, strongly punctured at the same place, more finely 

 so below, the punctures of elongate shape ; underside black, the last 

 abdominal segment flavous ; legs fulvous, the greater portion of 

 the femoi'a at the middle and the apices of the tibiae (more or less) 

 and the tarsi black. 



Hah. Salisbury, Mashonaland, at roots of grass, also Natal 

 (6r. Marshall). 



Belonging to the larger groups of African species and closely 

 allied to L. emarginata Baly and L. rohusta Lac, but distin- 

 guished from either by the two black thoracic spots, the black 

 underside, and other differences. 



I Ann. Mus. Oiv. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) xv. p. 433 (1895). 



