1905.] SOUTH-AFRICAX COLEOPTERA. 277 



are sometimes faintly suffused, and the hind tarsi are blackish. 

 The body beneath is bluish. The extraordinary structure of the 

 head in the male is alone sufficient to distinguish this insect from 

 any species described ; it resembles in colour and size an insect 

 sent by Mr. G. A. K. Marshall from Salisbury, and which I 

 doubtfully referred to II. variicornis Boh em., but as the lattei- 

 specimen was a male I am certain that it does not belong to the 

 species I now describe. 



Obs. — Boheman does not in describing If. superciliosus give the 

 diagnosis of the male head, but I have no doubt from his remai'ks 

 it is a male he describes. His express assertion, repeated, that 

 the scutellum is yellow precludes any of the specimens I have yet 

 received from being referred to this species. A considerable series 

 of this insect has been obtained by Dr. Brauns ; four males and 

 four females are before me. 



Hedybius amcenus Gorh. Distant's Nat. in Transvaal, p. 197; 

 Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 7, v. p. 80 (1900). 



Hah. Bothaville, Orange R. Colony [Braions). 



One male and three females, in all respects agreeing with the 

 types. They are interesting as corroborating the differences 

 pointed out before and as being found in quite a new locality. 



Philhedonus Gorham. 

 Philhedonus Gorham, Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 7, v. p. 82 (1900). 



Philhedonus sericeus, sp. n. 



Nigro-cceruleus, puhe brevi sericea vestitus ; prothorace rufo, fere 

 glabra^ macula nigra in margine antico haud bene discreta ; 

 elytris creberrime suhtiliter jnmctatis, p)uhe brevi p7ndnosis ; 

 scutello, pedibus et corpore infra nigro-cceruleis. long. 

 5 niillim. $ ? 



Ilab. Bothaville, Orange R. Colony (Brauns). 



This Philhedonus differs from the insect described by me as 

 P. coronat'us by its smaller size, by the wholly black antenna, 

 and by the labrum not being red ; the thorax is also differently 

 marked, the single black spot is placed upon the front margin, and 

 is wedge-shaped, pointing backwards. The head is blue-black and 

 shining, not punctui-ed, very sparingly golden pubescent; antennse, 

 mouth, and palpi black, the former short and feebly serrate. The 

 thorax is wider than long, the sides and base finely margined, 

 the anterior margin raised, but only very finely so. 



The elytra are wide, and are widest a little before the apex, 

 deep blue with a silky and shining pubescence ; the punctuation 

 is fine, close, and confluent. They do not cover the apex of the 

 abdomen. The body and legs are entirely blue-black ; the vesicles, 

 which can be protruded from the sides (and are so in the 

 specimens sent), are blood-red. The pygidial segments beyond 

 the elytra show a green tinge. The examples, two in number, are 

 both, I think, females. 



