1897.] PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA OF AEUICli 247 



transverse ridge ; mandibles robust, fulvous, the apex angularly 

 curved, black ; antennae extending to the base of the thorax, black, 

 the lower five joints flavous, basal joint widened and ciuwed, third 

 one-half longer than the second, fourth more elongate, the others 

 triangularly widened ; thorax twice as broad as long, the sides 

 strongly rounded, the posterior angles distinct, the sides with a 

 narrow reilexed margin, the disc very strongly convex, sulcata 

 near the anterior margha at the middle, strongly punctured at the 

 same place, the rest ot the surface impunctate, reddish fulvous or 

 rufous ; scutellum broad, black, its apex slightly raised : elytra 

 parallel, finely punctured in widely separated rows, fulvous, the 

 base with a transverse black baud, which is gradually widened 

 towai'ds the suture and is slightly obliquely cut at the same place ; 

 it extends as far as the shoulders only, where it ends in a spot ; 

 below the middle is another transversely subquarate short band : 

 the underside and the base of the femora fulvous, the apex of the 

 anterior femora and all the tibiae and tarsi, as well as the sides of 

 the breast, black. 



Hah. Natal, Estcourt {G. MarsliaU). 



Both male and female specimens are before me ; the anterior legs 

 of the former are, as usual, very elongate and their tibiae curved. 

 The system of coloration in this species differs from any of those 

 placed in this genus ; but I see no structural difterences of import- 

 ance to separate it from Miopristis, although it might perhaps be 

 equally well placed in Antipus. The females only differin the shorter 

 legs and less transverse thorax, the mandibles also are smaller. 



Melitonoma EPisTOiVCALis, Lac. 



The specimens which Mr. Marshall obtained at Mashonaland 

 agree very nearly with Laeordaire's description. The species differs 

 from any other contained in the genus by tlie truncate margin of 

 the epistome, which leaves a cavity exposing broadly the labrum ; 

 this cavity is bounded at the sides by flattened projections, which 

 are turned inwards (Lacordaire says " tubercles "). All the 

 specimens before me have the thorax marked with two large black 

 spots joined at the base, and the elytra instead of having five spots 

 have only one on the shoulder, a transverse band at, and another 

 below, the middle black ; as the elytral spots are often confluent in 

 these insects I do not think that the Mashonaland specimens 

 represent a new species, but only a variety. 



In the female the head is normal. 



PePLOI'TEKA QUADRIPUNCTATA, n. Sp. 



Black ; thorax rufous, finely punctured ; elytra rather strongly 

 and closely punctate-striate, flavous, two spots near the base and 

 two behind the middle, placed transversely, black. 



Length 3| lines. 



Head black, the vertex rather closely and finely punctured, the 

 space between the eyes with a round fovea, strongly and closely 

 punctured ; antennae not extending to the base of the thorax, 



