1897.] PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTEUA. OF AITBICA. 533 



punctures partly confluent, the interstices more or less trans- 

 versely wrinkled, the posterior portion furnished with single rows 

 of A^ery short whitish stiff hairs, the suture towards the apex 

 longitudinally depressed : the underside brighter metallic green, 

 the sides of the breast clothed with long wliitish pubescence, the 

 other parts strongly punctured as well as the femora, the latter 

 with a long and acute spine ; the tibiae f idvous at their lower 

 portion ; tarsi piceous, the first joint more or less fulvous. 



Hab. Mashonaland ((?. Marshall). Collection Brit. Mus. and 

 ray own. 



SCELODONTA TICINA, Har. 



Cupreous, finely pubescent above ; thorax transversely sti-igose, 

 with two purplish bauds ; elytra deeply foveolate-puuctate and 

 transversely reticulate, each with five irregularly shaped obscure 

 purplish markings. 



Length 1| line. 



Head strongly and closely punctured, each puncture furnished 

 with a whitish short seta, the middle of the front with a narrow 

 longitudinal groove ; clypeus punctured like the head ; antennae 

 metallic bluish black, the lower three or four joints cupreous ; 

 thorax subcylindrical, one-half broader than long, the sides 

 strongly rounded and widened at the middle, if viewed from above, 

 the surface strongly transversely strigose, the interstices deeply 

 punctured, cupreous, the sides more or less distinctly marked with 

 dark purplish in shape of an indistinct band; scutellum strongly 

 punctured, the apex pointed at the middle ; elytra much wider at 

 the base than the thorax, deeply foveolate-punctate throughout, 

 the interstices transversely wrinkled, furnished with single white 

 hairs, here and there arranged in rows, the apex with three short 

 costae, one near the suture, one obliquely placed at the middle, 

 and the third near the lateral margin, the bright cupreous colour 

 of the disc interrupted by dark purplish markings, of which one 

 is placed at the middle of the base, two nearly connected spots 

 below the shoulders, a longitudinal narrow oblique band near the 

 suture at the middle, and the other marks on the two lateral costae 

 near the apex, all these markings are not well-defined but distinct ; 

 legs cupreous, tarsi black, femora with a small tooth ; the sides 

 of the breast densely covered with light pubescence. 



Hah. Mashonaland (G. Marshall): collection British Museum. 

 S. Africa {Holuh) : collect. Jacoby. 



The species most nearly allied to the present one seems to be 

 S. maculosa, Lefev., from the Zambesi ; but the author describes the 

 elytra as having but three fusco-aeneous spots and says nothing 

 of their shape, nor does he mention the purplish bands of the 

 thorax ; in other respects the two species seem nearly to agree. 

 One specimen was sent home by Mr. Marshall ; the other is 

 contained in my collection and was obtained by the African 

 traveller Herr Holub. Both specimens agree in every particular. 



