1905.] OF PHYTOPHAGOUS COLEOPTERA. 417 



elevations rather broad and flat, transverse ; clypeiis in shape of 

 an acutely raised tiiangular ridge ; antennae I'ather long and 

 slender, black, the third and foui-th joints equal ; thorax about 

 twice and a half broader than long, flavous, the lateral margins 

 straight at the base, feebly rounded anteriorly, narrowly thickened, 

 the anterior angles produced forwards and strongly thickened, 

 the sides deeply sulcate, the disc inipunctate, obsoletely trans- 

 versely sulcate near the base ; scutellum black ; elytra with the 

 basal portion rather strongly raised, impunctate, flavous, marked 

 with bands of metallic green or purjDlish in various ways ; the 

 breast and legs black, the base of the femora more or less and 

 the a,bdomen flavous. 



Hah. Peru. 



This is evidently a most variable species as regards coloration, 

 but I have little doubt that all the forms represent but one 

 species, as not the slightest structural difi'erence seems to be 

 present. In one form the elytra (if the testaceous colour is taken 

 for that of the ground, which is justified by the similarly coloured 

 epipleurfe) have the anterior two-thirds occupied by a metallic 

 band, including a flavous spot near the scutellum and anothei' 

 narrow transverse band near the apex extending upwards along 

 the suture, the lateral and apical margins remaining flavous ; in 

 var. a the metallic colour is interi'upted by a nairow transverse 

 band at the middle and another below the latter near the apex ; 

 in var. h there is only a single rather broad band near the apex 

 and connected with the flavous lateral margins ; the abdomen in 

 all these forms remains flavous ; the metatarsus of the posterior 

 legs is as long as the following two joints together, and the 

 claw- joint is strongly swollen. 



A. variegata resembles a great deal A. (qncalis, but is always 

 larger, and the apical elyti.'al flavous band is not placed so near 

 the apex as in the last-named species, and the antennse are black 

 and the abdomen flavous. 



AsPHiERA BASIMACULATA, Sp. n. 



Oblong, nearly parallel, testaceous, the intermediate joints of 

 the antennfe piceous ; eyes rather closely approached ; sides of 

 thorax nearly straight, impunctate; elytra imjounctate, each with 

 two elongate short stripes at the base and a small spot (sometimes 

 absent) near the apex. 



Length 4 millim. 



Head impunctate, frontal elevations subquadrate, eyes large 

 and rather closely a|)proached ; antennse slender, extending to 

 the middle of the elytra, the lower four and the apical three 

 joints testaceous, the others black or piceous, basal joint thickened 

 and elongate, thii-d and fourth equal, terminal joints shortei- ; 

 thorax scarcely twice as broad as long, gradually narrowed 

 anteriorly, the latei-al margins straight, anterior angles j^ointed 

 in shape of a small tooth, the sides sti-ongly flattened, the disc 

 impunctate, basal margin somewhat thickened and accompanied 



